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O. 



EIOGMPHICAL SKETCHES 



OF THE 



PIONEER PREACHERS 



OF 



INDIANA 



BT 



MADISON EVANS, A.M. 



I say the pulpit (in the sober use 

Of its legitimate, peculiar pow'rs) 

Must stand acknowledged, while the world shall stand, 

The most important and effectual guard, 

Support and ornament of Virtue's cause." 



J. CHALLEN & SONS, 

1308 CHESTNUT STREET. 
1862. 



n-i'"^ 



nil' 



t 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in ihe year 186^, "by 

MADISON EVANS, 

In tlie Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the 
Distric ol Indiana. 



3 i> ^^ 




s^n^ic^ 



7H 



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"to them 
that are sanctified 

IN 

CHEIST JESUS, 

CALLED TO BE 

SAINTS, 

WITH ALL THAT IN EVERY PLACE CALL UPON THE 

NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD, 

BOTH THEIRS AND OURS," 

THIS BOOK 

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



-<♦»- 



Aside from the ordinary motives that prompt men to write 
books, the author has undertaken the present work as a sacred 
duty, which some one owed to those venerable pioneers who, by 
their labors, sacrifices, and sufferings, first promulgated in In- 
diana, the great principles of the current Eeformation. Eefas- 
ing to be called by any of the names assumed by the various 
religious parties, they took upon themselves the name given to 
the disciples " first in Antioch." Out of sheer devotion to the 
truth they denied the faith of their fathers, in which they might 
have enjoyed great popularity, and embraced a system "every- 
where spoken against," as the advocates of which, they became 
in the eyes of many as " the filth of the world and the ofiscour- 
ing of all things." Yet loving the praise of God more than the 
praise of men, and in nothing terrified by their adversaries, they 
stood fast " in one spirit with one mind striving together for the 
faith of the gospel." As they belted the trees of the forest, con- 
verting the woodlands into fertile fields, so they deadened, at 
least, deep-rooted errors, and deposited the good seed which has 
already produced a glorious harvest. 

It is not just that such men should be 

" Thrust foully iu the earth to be forgot," 

nor is it meet that those upon whom their mantles have fallen — 
or will soon fall — should be deprived of the bracing influence of 
their example. It is, therefore, a duty to perpetuate their me- 
mory by setting their portraits in the record of their noble 
deeds, ''like apples of gold in a framework of silver." 

(5) 



6 PREFACE. 

The author's apology for not leaving the performance of this 
duty to some one of riper years, and more mature judgment, is 
his fear that those better qualified would neglect in the future, 
that which has already been neglected too long, and his convic- 
tion that it is better that some things should be done imperfectly 
than that they should not be do7ie at all. 

The materials for the work have been obtained, chiefly, from 
the surviving pioneers— to whom the author acknowledges his 
obligations — and the facts, incidents, and in most instances the 
dates may be confidently relied upon. That the facts have not 
always been presented to the best advantage, and that there are 
infelicitous expressions and imperfections of style it is highly 
probable, but it is hoped that such errors will be looked upon 
in the spirit of that charity which " thinketh no evil." 

In the selection of those whose lives and services form the 
subject of this volume, the author has endeavored to avoid 
every appearance of partiality. In addition to a careful exer- 
cise of his own judgment, he has sought and obtained the ad- 
vice of older disciples who, in this State, have known the 
Keformation from the beginning. If many good and useful 
preachers have been passed by in silence, it is because they have 
been candidly regarded as less prominent, and because there is 
not room in one small volume for even a short history of ever]/ 
good man. Others have been omitted, because it was impos- 
sible to obtain a suflSciency of definite and reliable information 
concerning them. In this class are Elders Thomas 0. Johnson 
and Joseph Fassett, whose names are " written in heaven." 
They were men altogether lovely; and none are more worthy 
of a place in this humble work, from which nothing but stern 
necessity has excluded them. 

The critical reader will not fail to discover much sameness 
in many of the sketches, especially in those parts relative to the 
conversion of the persons under the systems of religion then 
prevailing, and the means by which they were finally brought 
into the Reformation. It seemed impossible to avoid this with- 
out concealing facts, or deviating from the truth ; for, in the 
words of an acute writer, ''about the same amount of groping 
is necessary to make one's way out of an atmosphere clouded 
with the smoke that ascends from Mystic Babylon." 



PREFACE. 7 

Tn the midst of the great events that are transpiring around 
ns, some may* conclude that the incidents herein related are 
trivial, that the stage of action is too narrow, and that the facts 
are only 

~" feats 
Of heroes little known." 

Such critics are respectfully reminded, that there is always 
more " pomp and circumstance" in war than in religion. He 
who chronicles the deeds of Napoleon, may interest his readers 
with the bloody engagements of great armies, or with a shifting 
of the campaign from the sands of Egypt to the snows of Eus- 
sia ; but even the inspired historian, in his account of the imma- 
culate Son of God, had to content himself with saying that he 
''went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and 
preaching the gospel of the kingdom." His presence at the 
marriage in Cana ; his entrance into the house of a publican ; 
his visits to the quiet home of Mary and Martha ; his conversa- 
tion with the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well ; his entering 
into a ship and teaching the multitude that stood on the shore ; 
his journeyings to and fro along the shores of Gennesaret — 
such are many of the facts out of which was composed the most 
interesting and important of all histories. 

It has generally been regarded as difficult to write the bio- 
graphy of one who is living. Faults frankly stated are apt to 
give offense, and praise justly bestowed is eonstrued into flat- 
tery. With a firm reliance upon the good sense of the surviving 
pioneers, and at the risk of offending the critical eye, we have 
taken the liberty to write of the living as though they were dead. 
This course seemed the more reasonable in view of the fact that 
one pioneer has passed away since the work was commenced, 
and that, according to the course of nature, the others will soon 
be beyond the reach of praise or blame. 

The strictures on certain views and practices current in the 
religious world may be deemed severe, and their author pre- 
sumptuous. Yet they are believed to be true and just, and 
they are therefore submitted, not vauntingly, but "with meek 
ness and fear." The writer did not forget that some of his most 
esteemed friends, as well as many other excellent persons, are 
in the fellowship of those who hold and teach the errors against 



5 PREFACE. 

which, only, the remarks in question are directed. Should they 
render the evil apparent to " any dear friend," he will perhaps 
renounce it with thankfulness ; if they do not, it is hoped that 
he will pardon the weakness that vainly essayed to point out 
that which was clearly seen. 

The engraving, and the brief history of the N. "W. 0. Uni- 
versity, will not be considered inappropriate, as the Institution 
is frequently referred to in the sketches, and as it is the ri^e 
fruit from the seed sown years ago by the venerable men whose 
deeds and characters are the main subject of this volume. 

If the book shall prolong for a single day the remembrance 
of those holy men — if it shall inspire with fresh courage only 
one soldier of the cross who is about to falter in the long line of 
battle — or if it shall in any way contribute to the edification of 
the saints, and the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, 
the result will be altogether satisfactory to 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS. 



JOHN LONGLEY.... 11 

JOHN WEIGHT.. 29 

ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL 42 

JOSEPH HOSTETLER 57 

JOHN B. NEW 75 

BEVERLY YAWTER 101 

JOHN P. THOMPSON 126 

MICHAEL COMBS 139 

ELIJAH GOODWIN 158 

JOSEPH WILSON 186 

WILLIAM WILSON 247 

LOYE H. JAMESON 262 

JAMES M. MATHES 277 

R. T. BROWN 300 

GEORGE CAMPBELL 315 

JOHN O'KANE 331 

THOMAS LOCKHART _ 340 

JACOB WRIGHT 349 

B. K. SMITH 3G3 

BENJAMIN F. REEYE 374 

JOSEPH W. WOLFE * 386 

THOMAS J.EDMONDSON 400 

Sketch of Northwestekn Christian University 414 



JOHN LONGLEY 



This most aged of Indiana's pioneer preachers is a 
native of the Empire State, born in New York city, on 
the 13th of June, 1182. It will be remembered that this 
was one year before the independence of the United States 
was acknowledged by Great Britain, and seven years be- 
fore the first inauguration of Washington. He entered 
upon life, therefore, in the midst of a political revolution ; 
and he will fall as a soldier in an ecclesiastical reform 
fraught with even greater blessings to mankind. 
. His grandfather, on his father's side, was a Welchman, 
and his grandmother was a native of old England. His 
mother's ancestors were Hollanders. Prior to his earliest 
recollection his. parents were devout Baptists. His 
mother, especially, whose maiden name was Ann Eloyd, 
was one of ''the holy women of the old time who trusted 
in God." She assiduously strove to bring up her son 
''in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" and, 
though the outlines of her dear face have well nigh faded 
from his memory, her religious instructions are still 
plainly written on his heart. When very young, he was 
taught the Lord's prayer, and required to repeat it every 
night ; and it is as true of this silver-haired father as it 
was of the youthful Timothy, that "from a child he has 
known the Holy Scriptures." He remembers a sample 
of needlework wrought by his mother, on which were the 
following words : 

**Ann Floyd is my name, 
New York is my station ; 
Heaven will be my dwelling-place, 
For Christ is my salvation." 

(11) 



12 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

This simple stanza he treasures up in his memory as 
an humble little monument commemorative of her ingenu- 
ity and faith in God. 

His father, Thomas Longley, was a boot -and -shoe 
dealer m the great metropolis. But, in the year 1190, a 
Baptist preacher came to ISTew York, and persuaded him 
to sell out and emigrate to Kentucky, representing the 
village of Washington, in Mason county, as a better loca- 
tion for one in his business. Perhaps the good but short- 
sighted divine was prompted to give this advice by the 
fact that, when he left his .Western home, many of the 
people of Mason county were bare-footed ; or he may 
have believed that Washington was ''predestinated" to 
become a greater mart than JSTew York. However this 
may have been, Mr. Longley set out early in the season 
with his family, consisting of his wife, four children, and 
their grandmother, then seventy-five or eighty years of age. 

In that day — 1190 — a journey from New York to the 
West was something like a journey, now, over the plains 
to the Golden State; for in all the New World was to be 
seen no track of the iron horse. But at last they reached 
the head waters of the Ohio, and embarked, with their 
earthly possessions, in rudely- constructed boats. The 
passage down the river was long and perilous. They 
were once caught in a storm, in which they lost one of 
their boats and its cargo ; and they were several times 
fired upon by Indians from the inhospitable shore. Thus, 
early in life, Elder Longley was '' in perils of waters,'^ 
and ''in perils of the wilderness.'' 

About the middle of June, they disembarked at the 
mouth^f Limestone creek, where Maysville now stands. 
This point was some four miles from Washington, to 
which place they made their way, expecting to be re- 
ceived and entertained for awhile by the preacher who 
had induced them to exchange the blessings of civiliza- 



JOHN LONGL EY. 13 

tion for the privations of frontier life. But, when they 
appeared before the preacher's cabin, he informed them 
that they could not be admitted — that they must pitch 
their tents as others had done, and dwell therein until 
they could erect a cabin for themselves. Finally, the 
hospitalities of a Mr. Cox were extended to them, and 
gladly accepted. He had a hewed-log house, with two 
small rooms, and a good puncheon floor. In this the 
two families lived, on terms of the closest intimacy, until 
Mr. Longley could select a site, and erect thereon a dwell- 
ing. Thus this pioneer family, like the Trojan hero, 
'^ having been tossed about much, both on land and water, 
suffered many things, until they could build'' — not a 
"city," but — a cabin. 

The Indians, at that time, were very troublesome in 
Kentucky; and, for a long while, property and life were 
in perpetual danger. Father Longley is perhaps the only 
man now living who saw the celebrated Major Simon 
Kenton, when, Mazeppa-like, he took his famous ride on 
an unbroken colt. The Indians had taken him prisoner, 
and, in order to amuse the papooses, had bound him upon 
the colt, to the tail of which they attached several cow- 
bells. But, fortunately, the animal was one which they 
had stolen from the whites ; and, when liberated, it fled 
home, carrying the doomed prisoner back, very unexpect- 
edly, into the midst of his friends. 

In the community in which such scenes transpired, 
Father Longley passed his boyhood. His educational 
advantages were therefore very limited. He had been 
sent to school a short time in IS'ew York, and he does not 
remember when he was unable to read. But, ajfer liis 
removal to the West, it was several years before an old 
Irish schoolmaster made his appearance in the neighbor- 
hood. In about five three-month terms of the common 
subscription schools of the eighteenth century, he com- 



14 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

pleted his education ; having pretty well mastered a post- 
diluvian arithmetic, which was the only text book in the 
mathematical department ; and having passed several times 
through the classical course, which comprised the old- 
fashioned "■ Speller" and ^'Reader." 

In his fourteenth year he lost his kind mother, whose 
influence over him had ever been-talismanic. In a short 
time his father married again, and all went on smoothly 
enough for awhile ; but, finally, the children of the first 
mother were scattered abroad to give place to the fruits 
of the second marriage. John went to learn the trade 
of a tanner, being then in his eighteenth year. Unfortu- 
nately this movement brought him under the seductive 
influences of wicked associates. The man to whom he 
was apprenticed was himself very passionate and profane. 
The others about the establishment were of like character ; 
so when he walked it was in "the counsel of the un- 
godly," when he stood it was " in the way of sinners," 
and when he sat it was "in the seat of the scornful." 
Under such circumstances he soon became expert in the 
practice of sin. 

Thus things went on for a year and a half. At length 
he was induced to reflect upon his condition, by hearing 
the remarks of a young woman who was relating her 
experience at a Baptist meeting. She quoted, with great 
feeling, the first psalm, and said many things which 
seemed to be strangely applicable to his case. By this 
means he was led to recall the admonitions and last 
request of his dying mother; and to resolve that he 
would endeavor to take the cup of salvation, and pay 
his oft-repeated vows to the Most High. He sought 
repentance with many tears and some doubts ; for, under 
the unenlightened teaching of that day, he feared that 
he had grieved the Holy Spirit, and that it had departed 



JOHN LONGLEY. 15 

from him forever. He prayed and agonized with God for 
many months, but could obtain no message of peace from 
the skies ; neither could he find rest on earth because 
of the taunts and jeers of his companions. 

They concluded, one day, that John was good enough 
to be baptized, and, with the proprietor at their head, 
they undertook to immerse him in a filthy tan vat. He 
resisted with all his might, but for awhile was like a 
helpless babe in the hands of pedobaptists. Finally, 
however, he fastened his hands in the hair of his '' boss,'^ 
and, by vigorous pulling, made him glad to release him. 

After this occurrence, he avoided their society as much 
as possible. Having completed his day's work, he would 
repair to the house of some of his Baptist friends, there 
to find sympathizers, and to converse about the interests 
of his soul. When he asked them for advice, or inquired 
of them what he must do to be saved, they told him he 
could do nothing but ''pray on, and wait the Lord's own 
good time.'' How similar this direction to that given by 
the apostles ! How admirably calculated to fill his heart 
with love towards God, who, he w^as constrained to be- 
lieve, was alone responsible for the delay of his pardon ! 

While observing this commandment of men, he one 
night had a fearful dream. He dreamed that his departed 
mother came to him, carried him away through the air, 
alighted with him upon a beautiful greensward in front 
of a magnificent palace, took him by the hand, and led 
him to the door, which was open. They entered ; and as 
they passed along a large hall, he saw his Saviour, who, 
Lis conductor told him, was writing for him a commission. 
Finding themselves at the extremity of the hall, he looked 
into illimitable space, but could see nothing. " Look a 
little to the left," said his angelic guide. He obeyed ; 
and lo ! he beheld the wicked in torment — 



16 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

*'A dungeon horrible, on all sides round, 
As one great furnace flamed : yet from those flames 
No light, but rather darkness visible, 
Served only to discover sights of woe.'* 

Sixty years have passed since that night ; yet he affirms 
that he stjll shudders at the recollection of that terrible 
vision. When we remember that the religious teachings 
of those times exposed the sinner to an awful perdition, 
without disclosing any plain and sure way of salvation, 
it is not surprising that '' in thoughts from the visions of 
the night, fear came upon him, and trembling, which made 
all his bones to shake." 

Keceiving no encouragement from religious teachers, 
being '' plagued all the day long" by his shopmates, and 
having tried so often to lay hold on the hope set before 
him, which hope always eluded his grasp, he was almost 
persuaded to abandon forever the path of the just. He 
now looks back to that critical period with the feeling of 
the Psalmist, when he said, ''As for me my feet were 
almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped." To all 
this disquietude, to all these shafts of ridicule, to this im- 
minent danger of giving up all aims at a holy and useful 
life, he was exposed simply because orthodoxy had sealed 
the lips of Peter that he might not instruct him — simply 
because a human creed had closed the door against Ana- 
nias, that he might not tell him that which was appointed 
for him to do. Under the gospel of Jesus Christ three 
thousand Jews sought and found pardon in a single day ; 
under that gospel the persecuting Saul, whose hands were 
red with the blood of the innocent, obtained mercy within 
the space of three days ; and had the same gospel, in its 
original purity and simplicity, been preached to this com- 
paratively innocent youth, he would have arisen without 
delay, been baptized, washed away his sins, and gone on 
his way rejoicing. 



JOHN LONGLEY. It 

But under the '' other gospel'^ which was preached to 
him, and which is still advocated among men, he could 
only resolve, after a hard conflict in his mind, to persevere 
in penitence, in tears, and in prayer. In this extremity, 
he shut himself up in his room on Sundays, and spent the 
hours in reading the Bible and supplicating its Author. 
Being ignorant of the arrangement of the Scriptures and 
the design of each part, he sought the way of life as often 
in Leviticus as in the Acts of the Apostles. Like most 
persons of his and our day, he delighted most in the 
Psalms, and there he looked oftenest for the commands of 
the Lord! One Sunday, he happened upon the twenty- 
seventh Psalm, which greatly cheered his heart. Part of it 
supplied him with courage to withstand the gibes of his co- 
laborers, and part encouraged him to '' wait on the Lord." 
This scripture also met his eye, and touched his heart : 
''Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my 
sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your 
reward in heaven." This beatitude seemed to have been 
spoken expressly for his sake. Therefore he did rejoice 
as he contemplated the heavenly reward, and, the wish 
being father to the thought, he concluded that his sins 
had at last been blotted out. 

He then determined to offer himself to the Baptist 
Church at Washington. His '' experience" being satis- 
factory, as all experiences are, he was received ; and in 
March, 1801, was immersed in the Ohio river by William 
Payne. 

Such was his entrance into the kingdom of God. If 
any, one thinks the account of it is long and tedious, how 
does he suppose their patience must be taxed who are 
compelled to pass over such a circuitous route to the king- 
dom ? If any reader of this volume be disposed to com- 
plain of long accounts of conversion, let him thenceforth 



18 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

discountenance all systems of religion that subject men 
to the necessity of having such facts connected with their 
history. In the same space might have been recorded a 
dozen such conversions as that of the ^' eunuch/' which 
fills only half a page of a common pocket Bible. But 
many are not taught to be converted in that short and 
simple way, lest both teacher and taught should be called 
*' Campbellites.'' This fear is one chief obstacle in the 
way of the gospel of the Son of God. 

In May, 1804, Father Longley was married to Miss 
Francina Hendrickson, of Fleming county, Kentucky. 
She had been brought up a Presbyterian '' after the strait- 
est secf She was a woman of sterling piety ; and, soon 
after their removal to their own house, she one evening 
placed the Bible and hymn-book upon the stand, and re- 
quested her husband to read and pray. He complied, 
with some trepidation, and from that day to this — over 
fifty-seven years — he has attended to family worship, save 
when circumstances have rendered it impracticable. The 
fact is recorded that her example may ''teach the young 
women." 

At the time of his marriage he was foreman in a tan- 
nery at Mt. Sterling. His employer proved to be dis- 
honest, and withheld the most of his year's salary. On 
account of this misfortune, he returned to his father-in- 
law's in Fleming county. There he cast in his lot with 
the Emancipation Baptists, whose distinguishing feature, 
the name seems to indicate, was their hostility to slavery. 

About this time he began to feel that it was his duty to 
preach, but he waited a long while for a divine call. 
Upon this point he had a long struggle, the particulars 
of which need not be related ; suffice it to say, that in 
1805 he was licensed, by the Baptist Association, to 
preach the gospel wherever God might open the way. 

In the meantime a new church was organized in the 



JOHN LONGLEY. 19 

neighborhood, the members of which desired him to be 
regularly ordained, and to become their pastor. He hesi- 
tated to be ordained in that connection, because he had 
begun to call in question the doctrine of close commu- 
nion. But upon this question the brethren agreed to 
allow him some latitude ; and, with this understanding, 
he was formally set apart, and duly installed as preacher 
in charge. 

It was not long, however, until his mind became un- 
settled upon some other matters. Especially did he dis- 
trust the doctrine of eternal and unconditional election. 
While this subject was under consideration, he had another 
vision, which claims to be inserted, by virtue of its nov- 
elty. He dreamed that he was preaching the gospel of 
John Calmn. His words were visible, and, like so many 
birds, went flying out at the doors and windows, without 
producing any effect on his hearers. He sat down per- 
plexed, and left the audience in a state of suspense for 
several minutes ; when he again arose, and began to 
preach FauVs gospel — that Jesus '' tasted death for every 
man.'' His words then seemed sharp-pointed arrows, 
which flew straight to the mark, and pierced the hearts of 
those who heard him. Though it was but a vision, it 
left an impression on his mind that was not favorable to 
the Calvinistic theory. It helped him to realize the im- 
portance of the subject, and warned him to ''take heed 
to his doctrine." 

Not long after this he had an interview with Barton 
W. Stone, who had come into that neighborhood to hold 
a protracted meeting. The prejudices of Father Longley 
were strong, but he concluded to go and hear Elder Stone, 
expecting, no doubt, to find him a hard man. But, con- 
trary to his expectations, that holy man of God stirred 
up no strife, but drew all hearts after him by the irresisti- 
ble power of the meek, gentle, and loving spirit that 



20 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

dwelt within Mm. " He took me out," says Fatiier Long- 
lej, '^ to hold a private conversation, and talked like a 
father to me, advising me not to give up preaching." 
After this interview he looked upon the Bible as he had 
never done before ; indeed, he seemed to realize for the 
first time that it is the Bible, the only, the all-sufificient 
chart which God has given to guide his dear children 
from earth to heaven. 

Unsettled in mind, he went to see his father, an un- 
shaken Calvinistic Baptist, who, in their long interview, 
labored hard to prevent him from giving up the precious 
doctrine of predestination. Together they made a trip 
to Ohio, during which trip he preached the truth as far as 
he had learned it ; and it is remarkable that, as soon as 
he began to approximate to the old gospel, he began to 
meet with success. On this tour he baptized four per- 
sons, who were the first fruits of his ministry. 

When they were about to separate, his father said to 
him, '' John, I believe it is your duty to preach ; and as 
long as you preach Christ as you learn from the Bible, 
you cannot be far wrong. If they will not suffer you to 
preach what you really learn from that blessed book, you 
have a perfect right to go where you can enjoy this 
privilege." 

His next preaching tour was to Georgetown, Ky. 
When about to leave home, a justice of the peace, by due 
legal process, seized upon his horse, in order to satisfy 
the claims of an impatient creditor. But a friend became 
his surety for the return of the animal within ten days, 
and he went on his way. At the meeting a collection 
was raised to enable him to pay the debt. This was the 
first money he ever received for preaching. 

A short time after this, B. W. Stone and others held a 
protracted meeting at Cabin Creek, in Lewis county. 
This meeting Elder Longley and his father-in-law at- 



JOHN LONG LEY. 21 

tended. On Sunday morning, Elder Stone informed him 
that he (Longley) was to preach that forenoon. No ex- 
cuse would suffice ; so at the appointed hour he preached 
to a large assembly, upon the words, " Behold what man- 
ner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we 
should be called the sons of God." Comprehending not 
the Lord's plan of salvation, most of the preachers of that 
day discoursed chiefly upon the love of God, the wrath to 
come, the untold horrors of hell, and the ineffable joys of 
heaven. His theme, on this occasion, was the love of 
God, with which he proceeded, on the wings of imagina- 
tion, until he came to the crucifixion. When he had 
finished the picture, he cried out w^ith a loud, yet pathetic 
voice, '^ Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the 
sin of the world ;" whereupon they all set up such a 
shout that he could proceed no further. This incident 
simply illustrates the style of preaching in the olden time, 
and goes to show that the speaker on that occasion was a 
stwring preacher , possessing superior descriptive powers. 
He could arouse the people to action, but, as yet, he 
could not tell them what to do to be saved. 

From this time he continued to preach a good deal 
among the Christians, (called !N"ewlights,) but he still re- 
tained his membership among the Baptists. In the year 
1810, he removed from Fleming to Lewis county, taking 
with him a letter from the Baptist Church at Blue Bank 
Run. Upon this recommendafion he united with the 
Church of Christ at Cabin Creek. This movement 
brought him to the Bible alone, and the name Christian. 

Upon this platform, and under this name, he continued 
to preach with tolerable success, until the great union 
effected by B. W. Stone and Alexander. Campbell. Into 
this union he entered heart and soul, and has ever since 
been an untiring advocate of the claims of the current 
Reformation. 



22 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

In the year 1813 — some twenty years prior to the 
union above mentioned — he moved over into Adams 
county, Ohio, and settled in a community of Shaking 
Quakers. He immediately began to proclaim the gospel 
among them, and such was his success that, within a 
single year, the Disciples bought out their '^ dancing- 
house," as Elder Longley called it, and converted it into 
a house of worship. In this house he organized a small 
church, which increased so rapidly that in a short time it 
numbered over one hundred and fifty members. They 
then built an excellent stone meeting house, which still 
stands a monument of the zeal of those early times. In 
the providence of Grod, Father Longley had the pleasure, 
not long since, of preaching in the old stone house, nearly 
half a century after its erection. Like the earthly house 
of his own tabernacle, it exhibited unmistakable signs of 
decay. 

After laboring a few years in Adams county, he re- 
turned to Kentucky, advocating chiefly the claims of the 
Bible, to the exclusion of all human creeds. 

About the year 1826 he removed to Cincinnati, which 
then contained a population of only about eight thousand. 
When he first saw the town, some years before, its more 
appropriate name would have been Zoar — '^ a little one" 
— and from that small beginning he has seen it expand 
into its present magnificent proportions. To him belongs 
the honor of having planted the first church of Christ in 
Cincinnati ; and he has had the pleasure of witnessing a 
growth of truth almost commensurate with that of the 
city. He remained in that place some two or three 
years, during which time the Bible cause prospered in his 
hands, and his little flock increased to about sixty. In 
the meantime he was bereft of his first companion, who 
died at Cheviot, in the suburbs of the city, in the year 
1826. The following is an extract from her obituary 



JOHN LONGLEY. 23 

notice published in the October number of the Christian 
Messenger. 

''Died, August llth, the wife of Elder John Longley, 
Hamilton County, Ohio, after an illness of about three 
weeks. From the very day on which she was taken sick, 
she viewed death as certain and near, and without fear 
talked with perfect composure about it. '^ * * Just be- 
fore she breathed her last, she said, 'All is peace — the 
victory is gained — he is a God of all grace,' and yielded 
up her spirit to him who gave it, without a struggle." 
Thus with prosperity in heavenly things came adversity 
in earthly things, turning his joy into heaviness. 

The next Spring after this sad event he once more re- 
turned with his children 'to Kentucky. Not long after- 
ward he was married to Agnes Hendrickson. 

In the Spring of 1830 he removed to Rush county, 
Indiana. Thirty-two years ago, therefore, he began to 
plead in Indiana, for the principles which he had already 
advocated for twenty-one years in Ohio and Kentucky. 

In Rush county he toiled, arduously and under many dis- 
advantages for several years. There being but few, if any, 
churches in which he could preach, he frequently taught 
the people from house to house ; there being no railroads 
he travelled on horseback or on foot ; and his preaching 
being considered heretical, he was looked upon by many 
as ''the filth of the world and the offscouring of all things." 
As the ancient seventy, being persecuted in one city, fled 
unto another, so he removed from place to place, not trans- 
gressing the bounds of his Judea, the county. 

Receiving but little or nothing for his preaching, he 
established a small dry-goods store, hoping by that means 
to make a support for his family without giving up en- 
tirely the work of the Lord. In this enterprise he was 
unfortunate and well nigh became a broken merchant. 

While misfortune thus overtook him in business, death 



24 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

entered into his dwelling and robbed him of his second 
wife, who died in March, 1834. Within the same year 
he was again married, to his present wife, whose name 
was Emily Huntington. 

After his ill fortune in Rush county, he removed his 
family and the remnant of his merchandise to Yorktown, 
Delaware county, where he was entirely broken up in a 
second effort to maintain his family by selling goods. His 
heart and thoughts were engaged in the work of the min- 
istry, and for this reason he was unsuccessful in his at- 
tempts to '^buy and sell and get gain." His failure was 
but a verification of the Saviour's dictum, ^' Ye cannot serve 
God and Mammon." The great book of remembrance 
will doubtless reveal the fact that it has been verified many 
thousand times by failures in the business of serving God, 
Father Longley is one of the few comparatively who have 
chosen to, fail in things temporal- rather than in things 
eternal. 

Though unsuccessful in his own affairs, the work of the 
Lord prospered in his hands. He built up, in Delaware 
county, a large and influential church, which still shines 
as a light in the world, holding forth the word of life. 
Among his co-laborers at that place, were Benjamin and 
Daniel Franklin, who were just then entering the field in 
w^hich he had been reaping for thirty years. 

In 1840 he removed to JN'oblesville, Hamilton county. 
At that point he preached, with good results, for about 
four years, receiving for his labor what was barely suffi- 
cient for the support of his family. 

In 1844 he went to La Fayette, where he has resided 
ever since. For several years after his removal to that 
city, the church there was under his pastoral care ; but for 
the last few years he has been too infirm to perform the 
duties of the pastoral office. Though he has almost com- 
pleted his four score years, yet, at times, he enjoys tolera- 



JOHN LONGLEY. 25 

ble health. At such intervals he still labors in word and 
doctrine, resolved to spend his remaining strength in the 
service of Him whom he has so long, so faithfully, and so 
usefully followed. 

In the course of his long and eventful career he has 
immersed over three thousand persons, most of whom will 
stand " about the throne" with the '^ ten thousand times 
ten thousand and thousands of thousands," who, arrayed in 
white robes and with palms in their hands, shall proclaim 
with a loud voice, '' Worthy is the Lamb that was slain 
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, 
and honor, and glory, and blessing." 

Since his memorable vision of the winged words, he has 
preached 2. free gospel, almost gratuitously. At no time, 
perhaps, has his large family been amply provided for by 
the churches, and now, in his feeble old age, he is very poor 
and mainly, if not entirely, dependent upon the charities, 
or rather the dues of the Brotherhood. It will be a burn- 
ing shame if that Brotherhood do not prove to him a "good 
Samaritan. " 

But, although he has received but little "of corruptible 
things, as silver and gold," he has been partly rewarded 
in beholding the glorious progress of the cause in which 
he has suffered and toiled. Looking back as he does even 
beyond the beginning, his view of the Reformation is like 
EzekiePs vision of the Holy Waters. — (Ez. xlvii. 3-5.) 
The truth which had been hid for ages, at last burst forth, 
like a fountain, among the hills of Western Virginia. He 
looked upon the stream when the waters were but "to 
the ancles;" when they were "to the knees," he saw 
them ; when they ascended to the loins he rejoiced ; and 
now his dim eyes behold them swollen into a mighty 
river. Having swept away all barriers hitherto, the or- 
thodox no longer attempt to impede its resistless flow. 
Like the ancient rustic, they patiently wait for it to pass 
3 



26 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

by; but ^'it flows and will continue to flow, rolling on 
forever. "* 

Having witnessed the triumphant progress of truth thus 
far, he is content to have passed the time of his sojourning 
in battling for principles which he is confident will ulti- 
mately prevail. Though he has suffered much, sacrificed 
much, labored much, and received but little, in this life, he 
has laid up for himself, in heaven, an eternal weight of 
glory. There he has deposited his treasure ; there are his 
friends and kinsmen, and there will he soon be also. He 
now tarries among us as one of a former generation, only 
waiting, like Job, until his "change come." May the 
God of all grace loose the "silver cord" with a tender 
hand, and grant him an abundant entrance into "the ever- 
lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

Elder Longley was, in his palmy days, a good-looking, 
sinewy man, of medium height and slender form. He pos- 
sessed remarkable strength and activity, and his great age 
attests the excellence of the physical constitution that has 
sustained him under so many burdens. He is among the 
best of the many noble specimens of manhood, produced 
in the age that is past. 

His intellectual powers are above mediocrity, and proper 
cultivation would have rendered them decidedly superior. 
Though deprived of the advantages of education, yet he 
has been able to distinguish, for the most part, between 
good and evil in matters pertaining to doctrine, and to 
present with tolerable clearness the great facts of the 
gospel. In the sharp conflicts that attended the introduc- 
tion of primitive Christianity in Indiana, he shrank from 
no engagement ; and as the mJlitia officer often eclipses 
the thorough-bred soldier, so he was more successful in 

* Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis aevum. 



JOHNLONGLEY. 27 

the field than many who had emerged from theological 
seminaries. 

Though never eloquent, he has been, on all occasions, a 
ready and impressive speaker ; and nov^ that he is so 
venerable — so near the confines of the invisible world — 
his tremulous voice affects his hearers almost like the voice 
of one ''sent unto them from the dead." True, it does not 
so affect all, for many who assemble in the house of God 
only "to hear some new thing," have long since become 
impatient of his ministrations. He has never belonged 
to that class of speakers who 

*' Fill the allotted scene, 
With lifeless drawls, insipid and serene •/' 

and he is quite as far removed from that other class — so 
numerous in the former days — who 

** Thunder every couplet o'er 
And almost crack your ears with rant and roar." 

He moves about but little in the pulpit; his gestures are 
few and graceful ; his delivery, calm, dignified, earnest, 
and, at proper periods, pathetic. 

In the society of his friends he is companionable, though 
slightly inclined to sedateness. In the family circle he 
has been indulgent to a fault. It can hardly be said that 
he is remarkable for his administrative ability. 

His sincerity in the sacred cause has never been ren- 
dered doubtful by any aberrations from the path of the 
just ; but, during the whole of his long pilgrimage, his 
conduct has been, '' as becometh the gospel of Christ." 

Fearlessly may he look the people of his generation in 
the face, and say, with upright Samuel, '' / am old and. 
gray-headed ; andj behold, my sons are with you: arid 1 
have walked before you from my childhood unto this day: 



28 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

WITNESS AGAINST ME BEFORE THE LORD AND BEFORE HIS 
ANOINTED. " 

Having thus loved righteousness and hated iniquity, 
none can doubt that, when the saints shall ascend the 
throne, God, even his God, will anoint him with the oil 
of gladness. 



-K, .-?» 



M 



n/i 





JOHN WEIGHT 



; Elder John Wright was bom in Rowan county, 
North Carolina, December 12th, 1785. His mother was 
of German descent. His ancestors on his father^s side 
came from England in very early times, and settled on 
the eastern shore of Maryland. From that place they 
were scattered abroad, some making their way to the 
Carolinas. His father was brought up among the Quakers 
or Friends ; and, singularly enough, he turned away from 
that fraternity, who baptized nonej to the Tunkers, who 
practiced trine immersion. He afterwards cast in his lot 
with the Dependent Baptists, among whom he became a 
preacher. 

Elder Wright remained in North Carolina until he was 
about twelve years of age. His father then removed with 
him to PowePs Valley, Virginia, where he grew up to 
manhood. 

The most of his education he received from an old 
English gentleman by the name of Hodge, under whose 
tuition he acquired a good knowledge of reading, writing, 
and arithmetic. He received from the schools no further 
preparation for either the business of the world or the 
work of the ministry ; but, having obtained the key to all 
knowledge — namely, reading — he constantly increased his 
stock of ideas by his own unassisted efforts. He was 
tolerably well informed upon general subjects, and could 
write a very respectable article, as may be seen by refer- 
ence to the Christian Record^ to which he was an occa- 
sional contributor. 

29 



30 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

From Yirginia the whole family emigrated to the West 
and settled in Wayne county, Kentucky, where, on the 
5th of January, 1803, Elder Wright was married to Miss 
Peggy Wolfescale. She accompanied him but a short 
distance on the journey of life, dying on the 12th of De- 
cember, 1805, and leaving him with an infant daughter, 
w^hich he entrusted to the parents of its departed mother. 

After this bereavement, he engaged for two years in 
teaching school. At the expiration of this time he was 
again joined in marriage to Miss Nancy Peleer, who, for 
many years, proved a most excellent helpmate, ever ready, 
with him, to make any sacrifice for the cause of Chris- 
tianity. She also died, on the 29th of August, 1844; and 
the following extract is from her obituary notice, written 
by T. C. Johnson, and published in the Christian Record 
for November of that year : 

" She diligently followed every good work. The ser- 
vants of God were often refreshed at her house by her 
hospitality. Saints always found her house their home ; 
and sinners were so kindly treated by her as to endear 
her to them all. In short, she was an affectionate wife, a 
tender-hearted mother, an obliging and kind neighbor^ 
and a mother in Israel, whose death is felt, not only by 
her afflicted relatives, but also by the Church and the 
community in which she lived." 

Late in the year 180t — which was very soon after his 
second marriage — he removed from Kentucky to Clark's 
grant, Indiana Territory. 

In August, 1808, he and his wife were immersed in the 
Ohio river, by William Summers, of Kentucky. He im- 
mediately united with the Baptist Church, and in the 
latter part of the same y^ar he began to preach. Be it 
observed that this was fifty-four years ago — eight years 
previous to the admission of the Territory as a State, and 
long before the current Keformation was heard of by the 



JOHN WRIGHT. 31 

inhabitants of the West. He must, therefore, have been 
among the very first to break the stillness of Indiana's 
forests with the glad tidings of salvation. 

In January, 1810, he removed to Blue River, four miles 
south of Salem, in what was then Harrison, but now 
Washington county. There he entered a beautiful tract 
of land; and, by much hard labor, opened an excellent 
farm. In a short time his father moved into the same 
neighborhood; w^here, in 1810, they organized a congre- 
gation of Dependent or Free Will Baptists. 

About this time they experienced serious trouble with 
the Indians ; and, while the energies of the nation were 
directed against Great Britain, in the war of 1812, they 
were compelled to protect themselves by forts from the 
tomahawk and scalping-knife. 

When peace and safety were restored, he entered again 
with increased zeal into the work of the ministry. He 
was assisted by his father, and a younger brother, Peter, 
who was beginning to preach with considerable success. 
The three Wrights exerted quite an influence in favor of 
Christianity, and it was not long until they had organized 
ten Baptist churches, which they formed into what was 
called the Blue River Association. 

From the very first, John Wright was of the opinion 
that all human creeds are heretical and schismatical. He 
was perhaps the first man in Indiana that took his po- 
sition on the Bible alone; and there has not come after 
him a more persistent contender for the word of God as 
the only sufficient guide in religious matters. He labored 
to destroy divisions, and promote union among all the 
children of God ; and in this difficult yet most important 
service he made his indelible mark. Though at first he 
tolerated the term ^^ Baptist" — it being natural to condemn 
ourselves last — yet he afterwards waged a war of exter- 
mination against all party names. This war was de- 



32 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

clared in the year 1819, when he offered, in the church at 
Blue River, a resolution in favor of discarding their party 
name, and calling themselves by some name authorized 
in the Scriptures. As individuals, he was willing that 
they should be called "■ Friends,'^ '' Disciples," or '' Chris- 
tians ;" and, as a body, ''the Church of Christ," or ''the 
Church of God." He opposed the term "Christian," as 
applied to the Church, because it is not so applied in the 
writings of the apostles. 

The resolution was adopted with more unanimity than 
was expected ; and the Baptist church has since been 
known as the Church of Christ at Blue River. Having 
agreed, also, to lay aside, as far as possible, their specu- 
lative opinions and contradictory theories, they presumed 
that they were prepared to plead consistently for Chris- 
tian union, and to invite others to stand with them upon 
the one broad and sure foundation. They then began in 
earnest the work of reformation, and with such success that 
by the year 1821 there was scarcely a Baptist church in 
all that region. They all took upon them " that worthy 
name," and converted their Association into an Annual 
Meeting. 

About this time a spirited controversy on the subject 
of Trine Immersion, was going on among the Tunkers, 
of whom there were some fifteen congregations in that 
section of the country. The leading spirits in opposition 
to that doctrine were Abram Kern of Indiana, and Peter 
Hon of Kentucky. At first they contended against great 
odds, but so many of their opponents came over to their 
side that they finally gained a decisive victory in favor of 
one immersion. 

At the close of the contest, while both parties were ex- 
hausted by the war. Elder Wright recommended to the 
Annual Meeting that they should send a letter to the 
Annual Conference of the Tunkers, proposing a union of 



JOHN WRIGHT. 83 

the two bodies on the Bible alone. The letter was written, 
and John Wright, his brother Peter, and several others, 
were appointed as messengers to convey it to the Con- 
ference and there advocate the measures it proposed. So 
successful was the expedition that at the first meeting the 
union was permanently formed, the Tunkers being per- 
suaded to call themselves Christians. 

At the same annual meeting Elder Wright proposed a 
correspondence with the JSiewlights, for the purpose of 
forming with them a more perfect union. He was ap- 
pointed to conduct the correspondence on the part of his 
brethren, which he did with so much ability and discretion, 
that a joint convention was assembled near Edinburg, 
where the union was readily formed. Only one church in 
all the vicinity refused to enter into the coalition, and it 
soon died of chronic sectarianism. 

A few years subsequent to this, the work of Reformation 
began to progress rapidly among the Regular Baptists of 
the Silver Creek Association. This was, remotely, through 
the influence of Alexander Campbell, but directly through 
that of Absalom and J. T. Littell, and Mordecai Cole, the 
leading spirits in that locality. Through their teaching 
hundreds of individuals and sometimes whole churches 
were renouncing all human creeds and coming out on the 
Bible alone ; yet a shyness existed between them and those 
who had previously done the same thing under the labors 
of John Wright. The former, having held Calvinistic 
opinions, stood aloof through fear of being called Arians; 
while the latter feared to make any advances lest they 
should be stigmatized as Gamphellites. Thus the two par- 
ties stood, when Elder Wright, braving the danger of 
being denounced as a Campbellite, established a connection 
between them by which the sentiments of each were com- 
municated to the other. By this means it was soon 
ascertained that they were all endeavoring to preach, and 



34 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

practice the same things. The only important difference 
between them was in regard to the design of Baptism, and 
on this point Elder Wright yielded as soon as he was con- 
vinced of his error. Through the influence of himself, his 
brother Peter, Abram Kern, and others, on the part of 
what was called the Annual Meeting of the Southern 
District, which was composed of those who had been Bap- 
tists, Tunkers and Newlights ; and through the efforts of 
Mordecai Cole and the Littells, on the part of the Silver 
Creek Association, a permanent union was formed be- 
tween those two large and influential bodies of believers. 
In consequence of this glorious movement, more than 
three thousand struck hands in one day — not in person, but 
through their legal representatives, all agreeing to stand 
together on the one foundation and to forget all minor 
differences in their devotion to the great interests of the 
Redeemer's kingdom. This was, perhaps, the greatest 
achievement of Elder Wright's long and eventful life ; and 
he deserves to be held in everlasting remembrance for his 
love of truth rather than* of party, for his moral courage 
in carrying out his convictions of right, and for the meek 
and affectionate spirit which gave him such power in 
uniting opposing sects and cementing them in love. 

To the happy effects of this obliteration of party lines 
he testified a few years afterward. In a communication 
to the October number of the Christian Record for 1845, 
he wrote as follows : 

^' Beloved brethren in the Lord : — Through the permis- 
sion of our kind heavenly Father I have travelled through 
many of the churches in the south part of the State, and 
have been abundantly comforted in the society of our good 
brethren in Christ. For many years we have seen many 
who, like the Jews and Samaritans, had no religious deal- 
ings : but when the gospel was preached by Peter to the 
Jews according to his broad commission, about three 



JOHN WRIGHT. 35 

thousand joyfully received and obeyed the truth. And 

when Philip, the evangelist, preached to the Samaritans, 

they ' believed and were baptized both men and women.' 

And when the same gospel was preached to the Gentiles 

by Peter, they also believed and obeyed from the heart 

the same divine form of doctrine. Thus we see believers 

from all the sectarian parties of that age united in one 

body in Christ : having laid aside their former prejudices 

and hatred, together they put on Christ according to the 

constitution of his kingdom ; there was no longer Jew, 

Gentile, or Samaritan as formerly, but they were now all 

partakers of the divine nature, were all made to drink into 

one spirit, in short they all became children of God — 

Christians. 

'^ So it was in Southern Indiana : formerly we had Regu- 
lar Baptists, separate baptists, German or Dunkard Bap- 
tists, free will Baptists, christian connexion, or JSTewlights. 
These societies in some respects were like the Jews and 
Samaritans of old ; but the old gospel was preached among 
these warring sects with great power and success. Much 
of the partyism that existed was removed, and most of their 
party names were done away. * * * Formerly we all had 
in our respective churches much that was purely human ; 
but now, in the church of God, we have no need of the 
'mourning bench,' 'the anxious seat,' or any other in- 
stitution of man's device ; but in the church is the place 
where the solemn feast of the Lord's body is celebrated, 
and sincere worship is offered to the Father in spirit and 
in truth." 

It was not with the pen but with the tongue that his 
influence was chiefly exerted. The preceding extract is, 
perhaps, a fair specimen of his composition. The style, 
the capitals, and the punctuation, indicate that it is a 
genuine production of the unlettered pioneer. 

At first it was prophesied that such a union could not 



36 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

continue. This prediction grew out of the fact that the 
materials had been collected from many different denomi- 
nations : — Baptists, ^ewlights, Tunkers, Methodists and 
Presbyterians. But a quarter of a century has passed 
away, and the prophecy is not yet fulfilled. On the con- 
trary, those who were young when the union was formed, 
have, in their old age, almost forgotten that they ever 
were divided. 

Alas for the interests of Christ's kingdom, that race of 
prophets is not yet extinct ! There are still those who 
tell us that ''men cannot all think alike, or belong to one 
Church;'' aud who give thanks to God that there is a 
variety of Churches, so thai all may be accommodated. 
If, in the consequent confusion, thousands of our fellows 
should stumble over us into skepticism, and finally into 
destruction and perdition, it is no matter, if only we can 
all be '' accommodated !" If Christ died for all, as the 
apostle affirms, then all can belong to one Church ; other- 
wise he would have built two or more. The Lord, by 
the pen of his apostle, commands '' all that in every place 
call upon the name of Jesus Christ," to '' all speak the 
same thing, and to have no divisions among them. " By 
this and every other positive commandment stands the 
Reformation, firm as the lone Elijah by the worship of 
the living God. As it fearlessly advances, sectarianism 
confronts it, saying, in the language of the wicked Ahab, 
^^ Art thou he that trouhleth IsraelV^ It answers, in the 
bold words of Elijah, '' I have not troubled Israel, but 
thou and thy father's house, in that ye have departed from 
the commandments of the Lord.''^ All the day long, as 
did those of old, these latter-day prophets have called 
upon God to convert the world in their way, but he has 
been deaf to all their cries. J^ow, therefore, in the even- 
ing, the advocates of reform desire to call upon him ac- 



JOHN WRIGHT. 37 

cording to Ms will, confident, as was Elijah, that he will 
hear their cry and accept their sacrifice. 

Besides his efforts to effect a union of all God's people. 
Elder Wright did much, in his lifetime, for the cause of 
the Redeemer. By means of his farm in Washington 
county he was able, without much labor, to make a com- 
fortable living ; and, as he sought to lay up no treasure 
on earth, he devoted the greater part of his time to the 
work of the ministry. Through lack of records it is im- 
possible to follow him from year to year, giving a detailed 
account of his labors and successes in the gospel. Suf- 
fice it to say, that for more than forty years he preached 
much, and with good results, in Washington and several 
other counties of southeastern Indiana. The people had 
unbounded confidence in his piety and judgment, and 
wherever he went they were to a great extent under his 
influence. 

On the death of his second wife, in 1844, he sold his 
farm to his son Ransom, reserving one room of the house 
for his occasional use during the remnant of his days. 
Afterwards he spent nearly all his time among the breth- 
ren, comforting, establishing, strengthening them. 

In addition to his labors, he also sacrificed much for 
the support of the gospel. In the good providence of 
God, his father, step-mother, all of his brothers, sisters, 
and children were zealous members of the Church of 
Christ. His father and his four brothers — Peter, Levi, 
Joshua, and Amos — were all preachers of the ''repent- 
ance and remission of sins" that began at Jerusalem. His 
youngest son died on the 19th of November, 1843 ; and 
Christianity had made bright his pathway to the tomb. 
He therefore felt that he could never give too much in 
support of that gospel which had given so much peace, 
and joy, and hope to his family. Often did he borrow 
money to defray his expenses to his appointments ; and 
4 



38 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

sometimes, through the illiberalitj of the brethren, he was 
compelled to resort to the same expedient in order to get 
home. He used to purchase wine at high rates, and 
carry it forty or fifty miles in his saddle-bags, in order that 
he might show forth the Lord^s death with his brethren. 

During the first years of his ministry, he never so much 
as expected any remuneration for his services ; for it was 
a prominent article in the unwritten Baptist creed that 
the preacher should do nothing for filthy lucre. By this 
doctrine the generosity of the brethren was so stifled that 
it has not yet recovered the healthy action it possessed in 
apostolic times. Money was never the object for which 
he toiled ; but he thankfully received, with an enlightened 
conscience, whatever was offered, believing that, as he 
loved to contribute, every other brother, who had the 
cause near his heart, should enjoy the same privilege. As 
heart and flesh failed him, the liberality of the churches 
increased ; and, after his family had all begun life for 
themselves, or passed away to the spirit land, he received 
for his preaching what was amply sufficient to supply all 
his earthly wants. 

He enjoyed excellent health until very near the close 
of his pilgrimage ; and it was a saying with him that he 
''never had a pain as long as his little finger.'' But, 
though he lived many years, and rejoiced in them all, the 
days of darkness were in reservation for him. In the 
spring of 1850 he was seized with acute inflammation of 
the stomach. The disease readily yielded to medical 
treatment, and in a short time he resumed the Master's 
work. In the fall of the same year it returned upon him 
in a more violent and obstinate form, and he expressed 
the conviction that his race was almost run. 

He passed the winter with his son Jacob, at Salem, 
and by the coming of spring he had so far recovered as 
to be able to return home to his son Ramson's. Imme- 



JOHN WRIGHT. 39 

diately afterwards he grew worse, and began to sink 
rapidly. His brother in the gospel, Dr. H. T. ^N". Bene- 
dict, was called in ; but he could do no more than to com- 
ort him in his afflictions by pointing him to his eternal 
weight of glory. 

His living children were all near him except his son 
Jacob, who was. preaching at New Albany. He was 
summoned; and when he came his father said, ^^ My son, 
I am just waiting for my discharge." He seemed more 
like one preparing to start on a long journey than one 
about to experience the agony of death. He first spoke 
to his family relative to some pecuniary matters. These 
being disposed of to his satisfaction, he requested Dr. 
Benedict to write his obituary notice, and also expressed 
his desire that J. M. Mathes should preach his '' Chris- 
tian farewell," from Bev. xiv. 13. He observed that he 
had lived in Washington county over forty years ; that 
if he had in it an enemy he did not know it ; and that he 
thought he could make one more successful appeal to the 
citizens, through *' little Jimmy," as he called Elder 
Mathes. In a few moments he said to J. L. Martin, 
*' Brother Lem, you will see to making my little house" 
— meaning his coffin. He then remarked that he believed 
he was ready to go — that he did not think of any thing 
else. Presently he said to his son Jacob : ** There is one 
thing I had forgotten. Abram Kern and I were appointed 
as messengers to write and convey a letter to the Annual 
Meeting of Silver Creek District. I want you to write 
the letter, and go with Brother Kern to introduce him, 
for he will be a stranger there." 

As he approached his dissolution, he conversed more 
and more, exhorted those present to be faithful, and re- 
peated several passages of Scripture — among them the 
fifth of Corinthians, commencing, '' For we know that if 
our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we 



40 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

have a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." After taking his final leave of 
his family and friends, he placed his hands across his 
breast, closed his own eyes, and breathed softly and still 
more softly until he fell into his last long sleep, without 
the movement of a muscle, his lips remaining compressed, 
his eyes closed, and his hands just as he had placed them. 
Thus passed away from earth Elder John Wright, at eight 
o'clock in the evening of May 2d, 1851 — ^^aged 6T years, 
6 months, and 26 days. 

^' Had the skeptic,^' says .an eye-witness, ''been privi- 
leged to behold the triumphant exit of this man of God, 
his skepticism would have been blown away by the dying 
breath of this aged, this devoted servant of our Divine 
Redeemer." 



Elder Wright was a tall, square-built man, of excellent 
constitution and great physical power. Many were the 
giant oaks that he felled to earth by the sturdy strokes 
of his axe. 

His mental powers were as good by nature as his phy- 
sical : the disparity in their development was a necessity 
of the times in which he lived. He possessed an iron 
will, tempered even to flexibility by the spirit that was in 
Christ. 

His character was a most happy combination of '' what- 
soever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, 
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, 
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of 
good report." He was an uncompromising advocate, a 
bold and fearless defender of the truth ; yet he usually 
employed the ''soft answer" that turns away wrath, rather 
than the " grievous words" which stir up strife. 

As a speaker he was unpolished, not logical, but very 
sympathetic. His own heart being full of love and fealty 



JOHN WRIGHT. 41 

to God, he induced the same feeling in the hearts of those 
who heard him ; for, ^' as in water face answereth to face, 
so the heart of man to man." 

Uneducated and untaught in the art of speaking, his 
useful career is a demonstration of the power of a holy 
life. May his brilliant success in the gospel stimulate 
all evangelists, of this more enlightened age, to combine 
with their intellectual acumen the godliness of this de- 
parted pioneer. 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL 



■4#*- 



The subjects of this sketcli were both born in Fayette 
county, Pennsylvania — Absalom in the year 1188, and 
John T. in 1790. Their parents were poor, and both 
members of the Presbyterian Church. 

In 1'799 their father, Absalom Littell, who was a soldier 
in the Revolution, emigrated to what was then the far 
West, and settled on the west side of Silver creek, in 
Clark's grant, Northwestern Territory ; or, in what is 
now Clark county, Indiana. 

At that date there were but few " pale faces'' in the 
Territory, and no settlements between them and the 
Rocky mountains, except a few French stations, or forts, 
containing a small number of Americans. The great 
West, that is now shaking the earth with its giant tread, 
was then in its infancy, eager for new ideas, and more 
susceptible than now of religious impressions. The influ- 
ence of the Christian preacher in that day was, therefore, 
like that of the parent over the child. 

Before the advent of the school-teacher to that part of 
the world, both Absalom and John T. had almost attained 
to their majority ; hence they received but little instruc- 
tion save that which was imparted in the domestic circle. 
Yet, by their own exertions, they became tolerably well 
informed ; and of the Holy Scriptures especially they 
acquired a thorough and ready knowledge. Absalom, 
being more fond of literary and scientific pursuits, became 
the better scholar. He was well versed in parliamentary 
rules, and none was more frequently called to preside 
42 



^sfe. 



'4, 





_^^^2^:^tC2::"^2_ 



ABSALOM AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 43 

over religious meetings. Though his own life was regu- 
lated by the '' perfect law of liberty," yet he had a respect- 
able knowledge of the civil law ; and his judgment in 
legal matters was as decisive as it was gratuitous. He 
peaceably settled many controversies between his neigh- 
bors, adjusting their differences with far more candor and 
fairness than a fee-hunting attorney would have done. 

As there were no schools, so there were no churches. 
North of the Ohio river, and west of the Miami, not a 
single Protestant spire was to be seen. With a few ex- 
ceptions there were no songs save the savage chant that 
led on the war-dance ; no prayers, save those offered to 
the Great Spirit under the shadows of the tall oaks. 

** Then was the time 
For those whom wisdom and whom nature charm, 
To soar above this little scene of things ; 
To tread low-thonghted vice beneath their feet ; 
To soothe the throbbing passions into peace ; 
And woo lone quiet in her silent walks." 

It was not until the year IT 98 — a twelvemonth pre- 
vious to the immigration of the Littells — that the first 
Protestant congregation was organized in Indiana Terri- 
tory. This was a Regular Baptist church composed of 
four members, and established on the Philadelphia Con- 
fession of Faith. 

The organization was effected a few miles northeast 
of the Littell settlement, but the first house of worship 
was subsequently erected on the east bank of Silver creek, 
near Mr. LittelPs farm, where it became widely known as 
the Regular Baptist church at Silver creek. There it 
still stands, the oldest Protestant, and, perhaps, the first 
Reformed, church in the State. 

Immigrants arriving constantly, brought with them their 
respective religious views, and it was not long until the 



44 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

people were favored with preacliing by the representatives 
of the several leading sects. 

Absalom Littell, sen., being an elder in the Presbyterian 
church, usually went with his family to that place of wor- 
ship. Yet he was comparatively liberal in his views, and, 
in the absence of the Presbyterian minister, he attended, 
without partiality, the meetings of the various orders by 
which he was surrounded. By this means his sons ac- 
quired some knowledge of all the doctrines taught there- 
about. Absalom was disposed to walk, if at all, in the 
steps of his father's faith, while John T. soon became much 
inclined toward the Baptists. 

During the Indian troubles of 1811 and ^12, Absalom 
and his eldest brother, Amos, served in the army of General 
Harrison ; while John T. and others rendered no less im- 
portant service as home-guards. Block-houses were built, 
sentinels posted, and every precaution taken to protect 
the women and children in the absence of their husbands 
and fathers. Amos was in the memorable battle of Tip- 
pecanoe, and Absalom was among the forces that marched 
to the relief of Fort Harrison, then in command of Lieuten- 
ant — afterwards President — Taylor. 

The return of peace found them all alive ; and, the wea- 
pons of war being cast aside, they turned their thoughts 
gratefully toward Him who had safely led them through 
so many dangers. 

On the 2tth of November, 1813, Amos united with the 
Baptist church and was immersed in Silver creek. On 
the 23d of July 1814, his example was followed by John 
T. Absalom, being at that time more disposed to see the 
world than to enter into the kingdom, travelled pretty 
extensively in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
Virginia. He was present, however, at the baptism of 
John T. ; but being greatly prejudiced against immersion, 
he stood afar off. 



ABSALOM AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 45 

In the summer of 1816, John T. began to preach ; and 
such was his natural ability that he verj soon became a 
popular and most effective speaker. 

Soon after his engaging in the^work of the ministry, he 
removed to the muddy fork of Silver creek where he, with 
a few others from the old congregation, organized what is 
still known as the Muddy Fork church. 

In April, 1815, Absalom, having become tired of ram- 
bling about, married, and settled down upon a small farm 
which he had acquired means to purchase. 

Though he had been a young man of unexceptionable 
morals; and although he had been a member of the church 
from his earliest infancy; yet, strange to say, he had 
never made a profession of religion ! It was this very 
question of Infant Church- Membership, that caused him 
to linger so long without the door of the kingdom. In 
vain he read the Bible to find a firm support for the doc- 
trine on which alone was suspended his hope of a glorious 
immortality. In vain he searched through subtle disqui- 
sitions on theology, in hope of finding a demonstration 
of the validity of Infant Baptism. Iso writer, either sa- 
cred or profane, satisfied him of the truth of that which he 
desired most of all to believe, namely, that baptism came 
in the room of circumcision. Loth as he was to abandon 
this popular tradition, he was compelled to do so after a 
careful re-examination of all the premises. 

This stumbling-block being removed, he immediately 
went forward in the plain path of obedience, and, on the 
2nh of October, 1816, united with the Old Silver Creek 
Church, being immersed at the same spot at which, a few 
months before, he had witnessed, with so great mortifica- 
tion, the baptism of his younger brother. 

At the first approach of the ensuing winter, the icy 
hand of death was laid upon his first-born. This sad dis- 
pensation, as it may have been designed, drove him nearer 



46 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

the cross. Observing that every thing beautiful goes 
down to the grave — that all things seen are temporal — he 
began to direct his mind to those things which are eternal. 
Anxious to devote his energies to the accomplishment of 
pei-manent results, he thought seriously of preaching ; but, 
for a while, he was discouraged by the feeble efforts of 
illiterate preachers whose only excuse for their ignorance 
was the pretension that they were ''called and sent.'^ 

On the 21st of the following April his wife also departed 
this life, leaving to his care a helpless babe. 

This second affliction disarranged all his earthly plans. 
In a short time he removed from his farm to New Albany, 
where he engaged in mercantile business which proved to 
be very profitable. He also began to preach in the city 
and vicinity ; and his first efforts were more acceptable 
than he had hoped. 

In September, 1818, while passing through Washington 
county, he called by a house at the road-side to make some 
inquiries as to his route. A young lady, whom he had 
never seen before, having intelligently answered all his 
questions, he took his leave. On the 18th of the next 
November that same young lady, the daughter of John 
Martin, sen., was Mrs. Littell. He was not a man who 
halted long between two opinions respecting any matter. 

Returning to New Albany, he continued to devote a 
portion of his time to the work of the ministry ; and, in 
January, 1820, he assisted in the organization of the first 
Baptist (now Christian) church in that city. It seems 
that on this occasion he departed from some of the land- 
marks, regarded as sacred by his Baptist brethren. For, 
being appointed to write and convey a letter to the Blue 
River Association, asking for fellowship with the same, 
and appearing before that body, as directed, he was 
sharply questioned by those official guardians of the 
interests of Zion. After a solemn conference, the assem- 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 4t 

blj asked liim if he would, in the name of the church he 
represented, renounce its faith, as embodied in the letter 
which he had brought, and accept that of the Association 
as set forth in its Articles of Faith ? This he refused to 
do, and the infant church at IS^ew Albany was, therefore, 
left to take care of itself. Such was the happy result 
produced by supreme devotion to creeds. 

However, the little flock in New Albany steadily grew 
in number and in grace, visited as it was by several of the 
more liberal Baptist preachers ; but most of all by John 
T. Littell, whose efforts on its behalf were unremitting. 

On the 13th of June, 1820, a severe thunder-storm 
passed over the city. The house of Elder A. Littell was 
struck by lightning, by which his wife was felled to the 
floor, and his only surviving child, the last of his first 
family, was instantly killed. 

This stroke of Divine Providence quite overcame him. 
The face of the Lord seemed to be against him. Perhaps — 
he thought — it was because he was not more completely 
devoted to his service. Therefore he closed out his stock 
in trade, and returned to his farm in Clark county; and 
from that time his labors were far more abundant, in the 
Lord. 

The little congregation in New Albany was cordially 
received into the Silver Creek Association (formed in 
1812) on the fourth Saturday of August, 1821. Then for 
a little season they all dwelled together in unity, and 
their Christian fellowship was '' like the precious ointment 
upon the head." 

From that date, Absalom and John T. Littell were the 
leading spirits in that portion of Indiana. Like Saul, the 
son of Kish, ^' from their shoulders and upward they 
were higher than any of the people.'^'' 

For many years they annually, and by turns, wrote the 
** circular letter;" preached the "introductory sermon;" 



48 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

presided over the Association ; and served that body in 
the capacity of scribe. 

In the year 1826, the Baptists having been greatly 
multiplied, Elder A. Littell proposed the formation of a 
new Association. As chairman of a committee he re- 
ported a line of division ; which was agreed to ; and the 
new Association was accordingly formed. 

A little subsequent to this, southeastern Indiana was 
liberally supplied with some pamphlets written by the 
Rev. Danieh Parker of Illinois, in support of what was 
called the " two-seed doctrine." For a while these docu- 
ments created great excitement and drew away many 
disciples after them. Absalom Littell sought several 
opportunities of hearing Mr. Parker, w^ho also travelled 
preaching — and having made himself well acquainted with 
the gentleman's position, and having examined well the 
different texts by which it was fortified, he determined to 
bring on an engagement, and if- possible, drive the enemy 
from his intrenchments. 

The parties soon met at Corydon, Indiana, at which 
place the Blue River Association had convened. It 
pleased the Assembly to select A. Littell, Daniel Parker, 
and a minister from Kentucky to fill the pulpit on Lord's- 
day. The Kentuckian having spoken first. Elder Littell 
followed, basing his remarks upon Peter's declaration 
that '' in every nation he that feareth him and worketh 
righteousness is accepted of him." With this and many 
other texts on his side, he felt that he went forth, like 
David, " in the name of the Lord of hosts ;" and feeling 
thus, he dealt a heavy blow upon the two-seed Goliath. 

The meeting was held in a grove ; and just as he had 
concluded his sermon a shower of rain dispersed the mul- 
titude, and he was thus delivered from the shafts of his 
adversary. By this attack, however, he lost favor with 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 49 

many of his brethren, who had imbibed the two-seed 
doctrine. 

About this time the light of the Reformation began tr 
dawn upon that portion of the State. The terms '' Camp 
bellism" and '' Campbellite" began to be heard frequentl}' 
from the sacred desk, as well as in the family circle ; and 
it was evident that a revolution in religious matters waf» 
near at hand. It was soon apparent, also, that hostilitiep 
were to commence in the old Silver Creek church — that 
there the first stone was to be cast at the old systems that 
were doomed to destruction. 

Many of the brethren, as the eyes of their understand 
ing were opened, manifested less and less respect for the 
Articles of Faith, until the creed party, unable longer tr 
brook such contempt of the authority to which they bowed 
their willing necks, ventured to ask, in the public assem 
bly, ''What was the faith of this church when it was firs 
organized P^ By reference to the church record it wa^^ 
ascertained that it (the church) was established upon the 
Philadelphia Confession of Faith. Having given this 
plain hint as to the object to which all owed allegiance, 
the orthodox party permitted a brief season of rest. But 
seeing the joints of the old system opening wider and 
wider, they determined once more to tighten the screws. 

To this end they proposed that submission to the Con- 
fession of Faith should be strictly regarded as a condition 
of fellowship. This proposition met with strong oppo- 
sition, and disturbed the peace of the church for a long 
time. 

Finally, a resolution was offered, demanding ''to know 
from this church whether she is governed by the Old and 
New Testaments or by the Articles of FaithT^ (Church 
Kecord.) This question, after a warm debate, was an- 
swered as follows : " The church say, by the word of God.'''' 
f Church Record.) 
5 



50 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

This decision produced great excitement. Many of the 
more zealous opposers of reform left the church, but their 
places were soon jSlled ; for the community, generally, 
approved of the action by which the seceders were so 
greatly offended. 

Thus the Silver Creek church exchanged its human 
for the Divine creed. But Elders Littell and their co- 
adjutors had not yet clean escaped from the thraldom of 
error. Though they had adopted the Bible as their rule 
of faith and practice, they were still subject to the rule 
of the Association ; and they still adhered to many 
practices for which they could not have produced a " thus 
saith the Lord." 

One would suppose that they would not have been long 
in being freed, if they did not free themselves, from the 
authority of the Association ; for, under ordinary circum- 
stances, that body would not have tolerated such an act, 
on the part of a congregation, as the open renouncement 
of the Confession of Faith. As it was, however, the 
Littells held the reins ; and, by the exercise of discretion 
and a spirit of forbearance and conciliation, they easily 
thwarted the efforts of all such as desired their excom- 
munication. The subject was brought before the Associ- 
ation at its next session in IS'ew Albany ; but the excite- 
ment passed away for that time without any serious 
consequences. 

The exercises of that session were also enlivened by a 
revival of the two-seed theory. An aged brother from 
the Blue Biver Association being appointed to preach, 
began his discourse, very properly, with an apology for 
his ignorance, adding, for the encouragement of his hear- 
ers, that as the Lord would give to him so luoidd he give 
to them. He (or he and the Lord, as he would have 
people believe) then proceeded to elucidate the two-seed 
doctrine ! His speech had a powerful effect on the large 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 51 

audienv^x. --so powerful, indeed, that it moved many into 
the streets and to their homes. 

After it was all over, an old brother, whose speech be- 
trayed the dialect as well as the penetration of the Yankee, 
observed, that '' all preachers of that kind would soon die 
off, and that the Lord ivould make no more on ^em.''^ 

The prediction was in a measure verified ; for from that 
time the favorite dogma of Elder Parker gradually waned, 
until it was no longer a matter of controversy. 

For a few years subsequent to this, matters went on 
peaceably, being conducted in the spirit of compromise. 
The Baptists tolerated the abnormal views of those who 
were almost Reformers ; and the Reformers, in turn, 
yielded to some of the peculiar views and practices of the 
Baptists. But each party became more and more posi- 
tive in the advocacy of their respective tenets, until a 
final separation could no longer be averted. This took 
place first in the congregation at New Albany, in the year 
1835 ; and soon afterwards in all the churches throughout 
that portion of the State. 

The Reformers, in all cases, opposed division ; and did 
all in their power to persuade their disquieted brethren 
to accept the word of God as their only rule of faith and 
practice. This the Baptists would not do ; but, as soon 
as they found themselves in the minority, they chose 
rather to withdraw themselves, and have no further fel- 
lowship with what they regarded as '' the unfruitful works 
of darkness.'' 

With respect to those who continued in the " perfect 
law of liberty," the Association of 1835 was the last. 
From that time they held an Annual Meeting, not to form 
or amend constitutions ; enact laws for the government 
of the church ; or, in any way, to '' lord it over God's 
heritage ;" but to hear encouraging reports from the 
various churches ; to worship the Lord in the " beauty 



52 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of holiness;" and to consider how they might most pro- 
mote the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom. 

Such was the introduction of primitive Christianity 
within the bounds of the old Silver Creek Association ; 
and such was, briefly, the part taken by the Elders Litteli 
in that important movement. 

All the elements of discord having been eliminated, 
the disciples dwelt together in unity under the mild sceptre 
of the Prince of Peace ; and, on every hand, they were 
greatly multiplied. 

John T. Litteli, with unflagging zeal, continued to 
evangelize for many years, baptizing a great number of 
disciples, of whom he kept no record. Among the num- 
ber were eleven of his own children ; and, since his de- 
cease, the remaining one has entered into the kingdom. 
Two of his sons — Milburn and John T., jr. — are success- 
ful preachers ; and a third son — Maxwell — is an occasional 
laborer "in word and doctrine.'' 

Returning indisposed from one of his tours, on the 
11th of February, 1848, he observed to his family that he 
hsid filled his last outstanding appointment — a thing which 
he had not done before in thirty years. It was a singular 
fact, in view of the sad event which so suddenly followed. 
Always punctual in filling his appointments, it seems that 
even death itself was not permitted to infringe upon so 
good a habit. 

Having taken some refreshments, he lay down before 
the fire to rest. In a few minutes he made a sudden 
effort to rise; rested a moment on his elbow; exclaimed 
*' I am dying;" and almost instantly expired. Thus he 
illustrated the great truth which he had so often endea- 
vored to enforce, namely, that '* in the midst of life we 
are in death.'^^ 

The following short extract is from his obituary notice, 
which appeared in the Christian Record for March, 1848 : 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 53 

'' This good brother and affectionate elder has labored 
hard for his Lord and his numerous family for about forty 
years, I have thought that I never knew a man who 
loved the Bible more ardently than he. He has endured 
many hardships for the truth's sake. He plead the cause 
of the Bible alone in all matters of religion, and of the 
union of all Christians on the Bible, for some twenty 
years. But he has gone to 'rest from his labors; and 
his works do follow him.'" 

Elder John Thompson Littell was a great man, physi- 
cally, intellectually, morally. Had his mental been de- 
veloped like his physical and moral powers, he would 
have been almost '' perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all 
good works. " His stature exceeded six feet ; and his 
weight was more than two hundred pounds. He had 
dark hair ; a large, well-shaped head ; keen, blue, speak- 
ing eyes ; a prominent nose ; a mouth that seemed made 
for noble speech ; and a broad, open face, expressive of 
every quick sensation. 

He was a natural orator — clear in argument ; powerful 
in exhortation ; in manner positive, if not dogmatical. 
Education was all he lacked to make his name as familiar 
to the nation as it was to the little circle in which he 
lived, moved, and died. He was of a gentle and affec- 
tionate spirit, full of vivacity and most excellent humor. 
Seventy times seven, if his brother sinned against him, 
seventy times seven could he forgive him, on the legiti- 
mate condition of repentance. This trait of his charac- 
ter, as well as the severe and peculiar manner in which 
he sometimes put to shame the enemies of truth, was 
clearly exhibited in an incident which certainly occurred 
at or near Salem. 

He was preaching to a large congregation in the presence 
of a certain minister whose name and order shall be mer- 
cifully concealed. In discussing some point relative to 



54 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Baptism, he made a quotation from Wesley's Doctrinal 
Tracts, remarking — as if fearful he had not given it ver- 
hatim — that if he had not quoted fairly he hoped he might 
be corrected. The unsuspecting preacher instantly cried 
out, " I unhesitatingly affirm that the passage does not 
read that way." '' Well, well," said Elder Littell, with the 
greatest sang f void, '' we will read it as it is. " Suiting the 
action to the word, he drew from his pocket a copy of the 
^' Tracts ;" and read the passage which, as he knew very 
well, was precisely as he had quoted it. Nothing daunted, 
the preacher took the book ; and gave the audience a 
different reading. At the request of Elder Littell a small 
boy then came forward ; and again read the passage as it 
was. This settled the controversy ; and the discourse 
was resumed as if nothing had happened. 

When the speaker concluded, the convicted preacher 
asked leave to make a few remarks. Being politely as- 
sured that he should have perfect liberty, he arose and 
spoke substantially as follows : — '' I confess," said he, 
" that, under the excitement of the moment and the bad 
feeling that then possessed me, I read the passage wrong ; 
and I pray God to forgive me." '^Amen," said Elder 
Littell ; and those who knew him did not doubt that the 
response came from the bottom of his heart. 

Though on all occasions he occupied a conspicuous 
place among his brethren ; yet he never thrust himself 
into the highest seat; but was always meek and unas- 
suming. 

Living in a controversial age, he was, necessarily, some- 
what doctrinal ; but, in the main, his discourses were 
eminently practical. When the occasion demanded it, he 
could wield the sword of the Spirit with a strong and 
skillful hand ; but he was more inclined to provoke his 
brethren to love and to good works ; and most successful 
in persuading sinners to lay hold on the hope which he 



ABSALOM, AND JOHN T. LITTELL. 55 

eloquently set before them. Christianity in practice, was 
the great object for which he strove. 

Like all other men he doubtless had his faults ; but in 
most things he might well have said to his brethren, ''be 
je followers of me ;" for he followed Christ. But 

*' No further seek his merits to disclose, 

Or draw his frailties from their dread abode- — 
There they alike in trembling hope repose — 
The bosom of his father and his God." 

After the death of John T., his brother Absalom con- 
tinued to labor in the gospel as in former years. Finally, 
however, the infirmities of advancing age compelled him 
to economize his strength ; and during the last years of 
his life he accomplished comparatively but little in the 
work of the ministry. Yet the spirit was willing; though 
the flesh was weak. The sickle was still keen as ever ; 
but the power that wielded it was failing. 

The nearer he approached the grave the more ardently 
he desired the steadfastness of the disciples ; and among 
the last words he ever wrote, were the following addressed 
to his " dear brethren." 

" Permit an old brother in the '74th year of his age, to 
say to his younger brethren, and to all : Suffer no strife 
to rise up among you. Abstain from all appearance of 
evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; 
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be 
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 

On the 11th of May, 1862, at 9 o^clock, P. M., he 
breathed his last. Conscious of his approaching dissolu- 
tion, he assured those present that death had no terrors ; 
and that he "died only to live." His remains were fol- 
lowed by a long procession to their resting place, in the 
quiet old church-yard near Hamburg, where they await, 



56 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

in peace, the *' voice of the archangel and the trump of 
God.'' 

In appearance and character, Elder Absalom Littell was 
much like his brother, John T. Born of the same parents ; 
rocked in the same cradle ; hushed by the same lullabies ; 
sent to the same schools ; baptized in the same stream ; 
and preachers of the same gospel, which changes men into 
the same image ; they could not well be so dissimilar as 
to afford materials for two separate and distinct sketches. 

Absalom was, however, somewhat larger than his bro- 
ther; and he was regarded by many as correspondingly 
superior in point of intellect. But the difference of ability 
was rather the result of education than of any partiality 
on the part of nature. 

As an orator he was inferior, though he spoke readily, 
forcibly, and to the point. Their sermons were similar in 
character ; and were usually directed to the same end. 

Absalom always conducted himself with gravity be- 
coming his office ; yet he too was most richly endowed 
with the faculty of wit, and with that cheerful disposition 
which "doeth good like a medicine." In a little circle 
of old friends, he was as agreeable as he was happy. 

In the church and before the world, they manifested the 
same spirit ; for both had ''the spirit of Christ.'' 

Such were those two distinguished pioneers ; and such 
the part they acted in establishing the '' ancient order of 
things" in the commonwealth of Indiana. It is necessary 
to add onlj two borrowed lines, expressive, no doubt, of 
the feeling with which every Christian reader will reach 
the end of this brief and imperfect sketch : 

** Those suns are set, 
rise some other such.'* 




^fj^^ ^j(j>yj^ cr^ 






JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 



-^♦^ 



The subject of this sketch was born in Shelby county, 
Kentucky, February 2Yth, 1*79*7. His father and grand- 
father were natives of Pennsylvania; but his great-grand- 
father was born in Germany, near the Rhine. His mo- 
ther, Agnes, was the daughter of Anthony Hardman, about 
whose ancestry nothing is known. 

About the year IT 95 his parents emigrated from Penn- 
sylvania, and settled in Shelby county, Kentucky. Though 
no longer in a German settlement, they still retained in 
their family the German language ; and Elder Hostetler 
distinctly remembers the difficulties he encountered in ac- 
quiring the rudiments of the English. 

When in his seventh year he entered a common school, 
kept by a queer little Englishman of strong Roman Catho- 
lic proclivities, though a member of the Episcopal church. 
Intoxicating beverages were then freely used by people 
of both sexes ; and, in this particular, the school-master 
was wholly conformed to the world. Yet he maintained 
inviolate the form of godliness ; and, on every Friday af- 
ternoon, required his pupils to form in a circle about him 
and repeat after him, with great solemnity, the Lord's 
Prayer and the Apostles' Creed ! 

To this school he was sent three months each year until 
he was twelve years old. By this means he acquired the 
arts of reading and penmanship ; and also completed the 
arithemetical course, which extended only to ''the Single 
Rule of Three.'' Except the medical lectures, which he 
57 



58 PIONEERPREACHERS. 

subsequently attended, this was all the instruction he ever 
received at school. 

His parents were both exemplary members of the Ger- 
man Baptist or Tunker* church, which, even at that early 
period, had adopted the New Testament as its only book 
of discipline. It was their chief care to bring up their 
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; and 
the mother, especially, spared no pains in teaching her 
little ones to pray ; and in instructing them in what she 
conceived to be the doctrine of Christ. 

Under her teaching, Joseph became greatly interested 
in reading the scriptural account of patriarchs and pro- 
phets ; and often did he pray to be like little Samuel, or 
like faithful Abraham, who ^^ was called the friend of 
God." 

Along with these wholesome lessons, many supersti- 
tious notions were inculcated by an old German woman, 
who came frequently to his father's house and related 
frightful stories about ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, etc. 
Each of these served ''to point a moral;" and all together 
deeply impressed him with the reality of a future state 
and the awful penalties visited upon evil-doers. 

It was to be supposed that one brought up under such 
circumstances would readily walk in the tvay of the 
righteous. But he was naturally of a very mischievous 
disposition ; at times highly passionate ; and " as prone 
to evil as the sparks to fly upward." When, therefore, 
he grew older and became less in the presence of his 
parents, he often set at naught all their counsel to walk 
in the coimsel of the ungodly. 

In the winter of 1810-11 there occurred, in his native 
county, a great revival, which, beginning among the 
Calvinistic Baptists, soon extended to the Methodists and 
Tunkers, His grandfather and his uncle Adam Hostetler 

* Commonly, but improperly, called " Dunkard.'^ 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 59 

were the principal Tunker preachers, the former speaking 
in German, the latter in English. Under their earnest 
preaching and the excitement that generally prevailed, 
his early religious feelings were revived ; and, but for the 
intervention of his parents, he would have covenanted to 
walk in a new life. They, however, thought him too 
young ; and prevailed upon him to postpone for a brief 
period his union with the church. 

In the mean time he listened to the several surrounding 
sects ; and his faith was not a little shaken by their con- 
tradictory teaching. 

Finally he heard one of his schoolmates relate to the 
Calvinistic Baptists an " experience," which, it seems, 
ought to be incorporated in his history, because it exerted 
a powerful influence on his life, and because it is a valua- 
ble though sad exponent of the religion of those times. 
When asked to describe the work of grace upon his 
heart, the poor lad sobbingly replied, *' I don't know as T 
has any works of grace to tell. I is a poor sinner.'' 
'' Do you believe in Christ ?" said the blind leader of the 
blind. '' yes, ever sence I can recollect," answered the 
boy. Being asked if, when he found himself a sinner, he 
had dreamed any thing remarkable, he proceeded to relate, 
in substance, the following : 

He said that he had retired, as usual, in great distress 
of mind ; and had dreamed that as he was going he knew 
not whither, the devil met him in the way, seized upon 
him, and was hurrying him off toward hell : that having 
been conveyed a great way, and thinking himself lost 
forever, a young man met them, and rescued him from 
the grasp of the destroyer ; and that on being thus libe- 
rated he had awoke in a transport of joy. At this point 
a gray-haired deacon sprang to his feet with a shout. 
'^ Brethren," said he, '' I've been a Baptist for twenty-five 
year, and ef ever I heerd a experience o' true grace this 



60 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

boy has giv' us one. So it is with all poor sinners — they 
are going they know not where tell the Lord meets 'era 
as he did this boy. I can interpret his dream — he's 
'powerfully converted.' Glory to God." This was the 
opinion of the church, and they received the young candi- 
date into their fellowship, without a dissenting voice. 

Hearing this experience, and reflecting on the fact that 
such dreams were the only foundation of the hope of hun- 
dreds, he became skeptical ; banished all thoughts of reli- 
gion ; and was soon regarded as a ring-leader among the 
*' rude fellows of the baser sort." Among these he was a 
kind of clown, who, after attending a meeting, would, for 
the amusement of his companions, and with mock so- 
lemnity, reproduce the sermon in substance, tone, and 
gesture. 

Subsequently, through the efforts of his uncle Adam, 
he was induced to ''ponder the path of his feet." He 
grew more serious ; read the Bible through ; and became 
convinced that his skepticism was based, not on the 
Scriptures, but on the contradictory theories and absurd 
speculations of professed Christians. 

This conclusion reached, he again became a seeker ; 
but the " whisper of peace," as formerly, strangely delayed 
its coming. 

Finally he discovered by his own reading what the be- 
liever must do to be saved. He revealed his discovery 
to his uncle, who at once accepted his views and on the 
next Lord's day taught the people openly that they should 
repent ; confess the Lord Jesus ; and be baptized in His 
name ''for the remission of sins." On that day Elder 
Hostetler — then in his nineteenth year— r-made the good 
confession and was immersed into the "one bodj^" 

Though he took this one proper step, yet he by no 
means comprehended clearly the Christian system, nor did 
he at that time realize the importance of the difference he 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 61 

had discovered between it and the systems commonly 
taught. On this account he drifted heedlessly with the 
popular tide ; until he was again borne far away from the 
faith of the gospel. 

Immediately after his immersion he began to take part 
with his brethren in prayer and exhortation, and to labor 
for the reformation of his wicked associates, some of 
whom are indebted to him, under God, for their hope of 
eternal life. 

About this time a wealthy speculator in lands, whom 
he attended during a protracted illness at his father's 
house, gratefully offered to give him a classical education, 
upon the single condition that, for one year immediately 
after his graduation, he should remain, as a tutor, in his 
patron's family. The proposition he gladly accepted, for 
from a child he had thirsted for "the Pierian spring." 
But to his great mortification his father positively forbade 
him from entering into any such arrangement: alleging 
that " high larnin" only fitted a man to be a villain ; and 
that he might as well sell his soul to the devil at once, for 
no lawyer could ever gain admission to the kingdom of 
God! 

This cherished design thus thwarted, he turned his 
thoughts into a different channel ; and, on the 20th of 
July, 1816, was married to a pious sister who still sur- 
vives. 

Shortly after this event he was authorized, by the con- 
gregation of which he was a member, to preach the gos- 
pel and baptize believers according to the custom of the 
Tunker church. His uncle being absent for the most part, 
he at once assumed the principal care of the home church ; 
and in a short time he accompanied his kinsman on a 
preaching tour through the counties of Nelson, Franklin, 
Washington, Mercer, Casey, Nicolas, and Fleming. 

His ministry was fruitful from the very first, on which 
6 



62 PIONEER PREACHERS, 

account, as well as by the expressions of his friends, he was 
greatly encouraged. 

In the fall of 181T, he removed to Washington county, 
Indiana. Settling upon a tract of uncleared land, he de- 
voted the most of his time and energies to the opening out 
of a farm ; yet on Lord^s-days, and usually on two even- 
ings each week, he proclaimed all he knew of the gospel. 
Being yet in his minority he was denominated ^* the boy 
preacher." This appellation usually attracted a large 
audience ; and, even at that early period, his influence as 
a preacher began to be felt. 

In the Spring of 1819, he removed to Orange county, 
near Orleans, and again settled in the woods. Here also 
he worked hard by day ; and at night was equally diligent 
in the study of the Bible and an English dictionary, which 
two volumes made up the greater part of his library. 

Though he occasionally went into Lawrence county, yet 
his labors were for the most part confined to Orange ; and 
in the fall of 1819 he and Elder John Ribble organized in 
his neighborhood, and on the foundation of apostles and 
prophets, a church of some thirty members. This was 
the origin of what is now known as Old Liberty church — 
one of the oldest, firmest, and most flourishing in the 
state. 

One night in August of the next year he dreamed that 
he saw on the farther side of a river, a large field of wheat 
and several persons importuning him to come over and 
help them harvest. As dreams were then of great sig- 
nificance in matters of religion, he inferred from this one 
that God had called him to preach the gospel in the region 
beyond White River. He was not disobedient unto what 
he supposed ''the heavenly vision," bat set out straight- 
way for the field indicated. 

The first man — a blacksmith — to whom he revealed the 
object of his mission, said to him, '' Sir, you have come to 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 63 

a poor place for jour business. I have not been to meet- 
ing in four years." Yet, commencing at that man's house 
he preached at several points in that imaginary Macedo- 
nia, everywhere relating his dream, which made a deep 
and solemn impression upon the people ; because it led 
them to believe that God had been mindful of them and 
had sent his servant to warn them. Having immersed 
eight persons and left appointments to preach again at 
each point in four weeks, he returned home. 

On his next visit he immersed about twenty, among 
whom were the smith's wife and daughter ; and a short 
time afterward a church was organized near Abraham 
Kern's, in Lawrence county. 

This year (1820) the Tunker churches in Indiana and 
Kentucky determined to form a separate Association, be- 
ing unwilling to conform to all the rules observed by the 
brethren in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states. On a 
specified day the delegates met, organized, and proceeded 
to enact new laws for the government of the church. 
Against this action Elder Hostetler, John Ribble of Salem, 
and Peter Hon of Kentucky, solemnly, but vainly, pro- 
tested. *'01d men for counsel, young men for war," said 
the venerable controllers of that ecclesiastical body. 

The following year this Association met at Old Liberty, 
at which session Elder Hostetler was regularly ordained 
as a minister of the grace of God. 

As a part of the ceremony his uncle Adam presented 
him a small Bible, saying, ''Preach and practice only what 
you find in this Holy Book.''^ This remark, made at that 
solemn moment when he was on his knees before his 
Maker, deeply impressed him with a sense of his respon- 
sibility. Hitherto he had humbly submitted to the dictum 
of those who had the rule over him, and had felt that they 
were chiefly responsible for his ministerial action. But 
now he realized for the first time that it was his duty to 



64 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

study to show himself a workman approved unto God, and 
that to his own Master he should stand or fall. Hence he 
applied himself more closely than ever before to the study 
of the Scriptures ; and he was not long in discovering 
radical differences between the church described by the 
apostles and the various religious organisms by which he 
was surrounded. 

Pursuing the subject of creeds, he perceived that their 
number constantly decreased in each preceding age, until, 
arriving at the apostolic period, he found but '* one Lord, 
and the name one^ By this fact his confidence in the 
popular systems of religion was greatly shaken ; yet he 
quietly adhered to the church of his fathers for two or 
three years, during which period he baptized about as 
many hundred persons. 

But the eyes of his understanding were being gradually 
opened ; and his preaching was becoming more and more 
in accordance with the oracles of God ; so much so, 
indeed, that, at the session of the Association in 1825, he 
was accused, by some of his brethren, of disseminating 
heterodox opinions. No decisive action, however, was 
then taken against him ; and he continued to preach 
during another year, with more and more freedom from 
all human authority. 

In the mean time, the first volume of*the Christian 
Baptist fell into his hands. This he read with eagerness 
though not with entire approbation ; for being yet identi- 
fied with a sect he felt that the blows descended too fast 
and too heavily. But still the light entered ; the faith 
once delivered to the saints and long obscured by the 
traditions of men, became more and more apparent ; 
objections to creeds and sects continued to be multiplied ; 
until "he found it impossible longer to refrain from a full 
and public avowal of his sentiments. Accordingly in the 
spring of 1826, he gave notice that, on a certain day, he 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 65 

would preach at Orleans on the subject of primitive 
Christianitj. The news was carried far and wide; ex- 
pectation was on tip-toe ; and on the appointed day 
about a thousand persons, including several of the preach- 
ers of that section, assembled to hear the promised dis- 
course. He spoke for an hour and a half from that pro- 
position which affirms that '^ the disciples were called 
Christians first in Antioch," discussing, 

I. The Name. 

[I. The Manner of becoming a Disciple. 

III. Creeds. 

It was a day of great excitement. After he concluded 
the people were seen in groups earnestly discussing the 
merits of the anomalous discourse. Though many doubted, 
not a few were convinced that Elder Hostetler had shown 
them a *' more excellent way." The preachers present 
attempted no reply; but adopted a policy which was 
then, and still is, more effective than a manly opposition. 
" Oh," said they, '* what a great pity that one so young, 
so useful, and so promising, should thus destroy his 
influence by bringing in damnable heresies and attempting 
to change the customs of our fathers." "You ought," 
said they to his brethren, '' to talk to him ; and unless he 
recant you should bring him before the proper authorities 
and expel hirfl." This advice was listened to; and he 
was accordingly notified that at the next meeting of the 
Association he would be required to answer to the charge 
of heresy. 

In the mean time, desiring that all his brethren should 
understand clearly the things whereof he was accused, he 
visited all the churches that were to have a voice at his 
trial ; proclaimed to them the ancient gospel ; and bap- 
tized about a hundred, who gladly received the word. 

Thus did God cause even the wrath of man to praise 
him. 



66 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

When the day of this trial came he made an able 
defense, showing that he opposed no practice for which 
the word of God furnished either precept or example ; 
that he had taught only what was clearly expressed in 
words which the Holy Spirit teacheth ; that he had ex- 
horted to no duty not enjoined by the apostles ; and that 
he had only repeated to the people the exceeding great 
and precious promises of God, assuring them that He is 
faithful that promised. In conclusion he referred to the 
intolerance of all creed-makers, and to the long list of 
martvrs that have been ^' beheaded for the witness of 
Jesus," asking his brethren if, actuated by the same 
spirit, they were willing to give their voices against him. 
*' No, no,'^ was the audible response ; and a vote being 
taken, all but five were found to be in his favor. Thus 
he escaped excommunication ; and, in escaping, he made 
more proselytes to primitive Christianity than he had 
ever before done in one day. 

So great was the confidence reposed in him that his 
brethren appointed him to deliver the annual sermon at 
the convening of the next Association. Seeing this, he 
said to himself, " This day death passed upon this eccle- 
siastical body. About this time next year it vnll breathe 
its last ; and my discourse shall be its funeral." 

Such was, indeed, the case. Public sentiment rapidly 
underwent a change in favor of the Bible as the only plat- 
form on which all Christians could and should unite ; and 
when the Association came together there were present 
delegates from the Dependent Baptists and the Old Chris- 
tian Body, or Newlights, duly empowered to co-operate 
with them, the Tunkers, in forming a union of the three 
parties upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. 

In this important movement they were successful. With 
few exceptions, all the churches of each sect throughout 
south-eastern Indiana, came promptly into the Reforma- 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 6T 

tion. Party names, and unauthorized assemblies such as 
were their Conferences and Associations, were dispensed 
with ; and Christ became " all and in all." 

From this date (1828) Elder Hostetler is to be reckoned 
among the public advocates of the current Reformation. 

The year 1828 was fixed in his memory by other and 
sadder events. He was brought to death's door by a fever 
which seized upon him while on a preaching tour to Ken- 
tucky. He recovered ; but two of his brothers were sud- 
denly cut down, each leaving a widow and three children 
who became, to some extent, dependent upon him. 

Depressed by these afflictions of Providence, and to 
better provide for his family and, if need be, for the families 
of his deceased brothers, he turned his attention to the 
study of medicine. During the year, therefore, he travelled 
but little and enlisted but few soldiers in the army of the 
Lord. 

During the summer of 1829 he and Elder Peter Hon 
travelled extensively and preached the gospel with great 
success. They visited Oldham, Nicolas, Bourbon, Mont- 
gomery, and Fleming counties, Kentucky ; Highland 
county, Ohio; and Lawrence, Harrison, Clarke, and Jack- 
son counties, Indiana. They were frequently engaged in 
protracted meetings and they closed their labors for that 
year with about four hundred additions to the rapidly-in- 
creasing number of the disciples. 

The next year he and Elder Hon revisited nearly all the 
churches for which they had preached the year before ; 
held meetings at several other points; and brought, in all, 
about five hundred persons to the obedience of the faith. 

In the Spring of 1832 he removed to Illinois and settled 
not far from Decatur. There he performed hard labor as 
a pioneer preacher as well as pioneer farmer ; for the pub- 
lic mind was in a worse condition to receive the 'incor- 
ruptible seed" than was the natural prairie to receive the 



68 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

corruptible seed. During his first Summer in that place 
he immersed some fifty persons ; and in October he or- 
ganized, near home, a church of fourteen members, which 
included more than half of the adults in the neighborhood. 
The church still exists, having now more than one hundred 
communicants. 

Among the first and principal points at which he 
preached was Decatur, where he encountered the Metho- 
dists and Cumberland Presbyterians in force. They bit- 
terly denounced his teaching as Campbellism, Romanism, 
Infidelity, etc., yet the people believed and were baptized; 
and in 1833 he organized what is still the church of Christ 
at Decatur. 

The same year he went into McLean and Sangamon 
counties, where he baptized a considerable number ; or- 
ganized one new church ; and brought into the Reforma- 
tion a small congregation of his former Tunker brethren, 
who were still clinging to the traditions of the fathers. 

In the spring of 1834 he removed to Decatur and en- 
gaged in the practice of medicine, though he still continued 
to preach with tolerable success. Among his proselytes 
was a Baptist preacher by the name of Bushrod Henry, 
who has since established a number of flourishing churches 
in Moultrie and Shelby counties, and rendered other im- 
portant service in the cause of the Reformation. 

In May, 1836, he returned to Indiana and settled on 
another tract of unimproved land near Bedford, in Law- 
rence county. 

In September following, he attended once more the An- 
nual Meeting, held near Salem ; and enjoyed a happy re- 
union with many of his former yoke-fellowst Hundreds 
of people were in attendance, many of whom camped upon 
the ground ; and after several days of refreshing the meet- 
ing closed with some sixty additions to be saved. Among 
these were fourteen young ladies who, dressed in white, 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 69 

walked out together into tlie stream where they were im- 
mersed by Elder Hostetler. 

Elder Jacob Wright stood on the shore, watch in hand, 
and when they had all come up out of the water, he an- 
nounced with a loud voice that the baptizing had occupied 
just fifteen minutes. He added that he had never seen 
as many sprinkted in so short a time ; and that he hoped 
the scene just witnessed would convince all present that 
it was not impossible for the three thousand to be im- 
mersed on the day of Pentecost. 

Elder Hostetler, sometimes assisted by Elder William 
l^J'ewland and others, held additional meetings this year at 
White River Union, Salt Creek and other points, baptizing 
in all about three hundred persons. 

From 1838 to 1842 he devoted a portion of his time to 
teaching classes in English Grammar, a respectable know- 
ledge of which he had acquired from a book presented him 
by a friend. In this respect he may be honorably con- 
trasted with most uneducated preachers who, all their 
lives, trample under foot the laws of syntax rather than 
address themselves to the work of self-instruction. 

Teaching, however, was never permitted to interfere 
seriously with his duties as an evangelist ; and during the 
greater portion of his time he continued to preach the 
gospel to the churches in Lawrence and the adjacent 
counties, baptizing never less than a hundred, and some- 
times as many as five hundred per annum. 

In addition to his other labors in 1842, he held two 
debates with Mormon preachers, which sect, about that 
time, made a strong effort to gain a footing in Indiana. 
With the assistance of Elder J. M. Mathes, he also wrote 
and published, that year, a small pamphlet entitled 
" Calumnies Refuted." This pamphlet was in reply to 
another, entitled " Campbellism Exposed," which other 
was published by a Methodist preacher by the name of 



70 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Holiday. Many copies of the two little works were 
stitched together by the Christians and circulated among 
the Methodists. 

During the greater part of the year 1843 he labored as an 
evangelist in Clark and Scott counties, discipling some, 
but mainly endeavoring to revive and instruct the churches. 
It seems that in some of these were entertained singular 
views of Christian obligations, one of which was that it 
was the duty only of elders to pay the evangelists that 
came among them ! The bishops, it was held, were com- 
manded to "'feed the flock of (rod;'' and this they must 
do in person or provide food at their own expense. 
Under such circumstances he received but little support ; 
and his services being required in other and more pro- 
mising fields of labor, he left the brethren of that locality 
to eat the fruit of their own way. But this error, not 
being embalmed in a creed, soon vanished away; and the 
few that had held it, began to manifest proper zeal and 
liberality in behalf of the gospel. 

The progress of the truth was greatly retarded by the 
political campaign of 1844, yet Elder Hostetler turned a 
few from the darkness of sin or of mystic Babylon to 
^' the light of the glorious gospel of Chrisf 

In the Fall of that year he consulted his memoranda and 
notes of travel ; and found that he had, in the course of 
his ministry, baptized over three thousand persons, and 
that he had spent more than a thousand dollars in the 
service for which he had received from his brethren less 
than half that amount. That he was able to do this is 
owing to the fact that his family as well as himself were 
industrious and economical ; and that he was very for- 
tunate in his business transactions. He has acquired the 
most of his earthly possessions — and they are amply suffi- 
cient for the wants of his old age — by buying wild lands,, 
clearing them up ; and selling them at greatly advanced 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. Tl 

prices. In all things he seems to have been the man of 
whom it was said, " whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." 

In 1845 the even tenor of his way was again inter- 
rupted by a debate which took place near Fayetteville, in 
Lawrence county. His opponent was the Rev. Mr. Forbes 
of the M. E. church. 

In 1849 he purchased two thousand acres of land in 
Wisconsin, to which state he removed and entered into 
the practice of medicine. But he still continued to preach 
as formerly, and, in a short time, established two churches, 
which were among the first in the far north-west. 

In 1855 he returned to Salem, Indiana, where he con- 
tinued to reside for several years, preaching the gospel 
with wonted success throughout Washington and the sur- 
rounding counties. Among other points he visited Sul- 
livan county, where, in company with Elder Jos. W. 
Wolfe, he held several interesting and very fruitful 
meetings. 

He also returned in 1858 to Old Liberty church (in 
Orange county), which he had established nearly forty 
years before. Time had wrought many changes ; and as 
he strolled sadly through the old church-yard, ^he read, on 
the monumental stones, the names of many with whom 
he had labored and rejoiced in early life. 

In the Spring of 1861 he removed to Lovington, 
Illinois, where he still resides. After an absence of 
twenty-four years, he is once more a member of the con- 
gregation on Okaw creek, which church he organized in 
1832. He is at the present time employed as county 
Evangelist ; and the pleasure of the Lord continues to 
prosper in his hands. 

Presuming that this sketch will be read by many of his 
brethren, after his decease, he has furnished a short 
address to them, a portion of which is here inserted 
agreeably to his wish. He says : 



72 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

" As I shall soon take leave of this world, and as all 
I can do must be done quickly, permit me, my dear 
brethren, very briefly to address you. 

''When I, with hundreds of others, came out of Babylon, 
we were a praying people ; a Scripture-reading people ; 
a church-going people. Our sisters were not ashamed to 
talk about Jesus or to pray to him in the public assembly. 
Our brethren carried their Testaments into their fields, 
their workshops, their stores and ofi&ces. The word of 
truth was spoken in the love of the truth. There were 
then no choirs to monopolize the songs of Zion, but the 
word was, ' Let the people praise Him ; let all the people 
praise Him.^ All joined in the sacred song; and the 
unrhetorical, though fervent; prayer was responded to by 
all with hearty ' amen. ' 

" But how are we now ? We used to read the holy 
word — comparing our lives, as well as our doctrine, with 
the doctrine and lives of the primitive Christians ; but 
now, alas ! we too often compare ourselves with one ano- 
ther or with the pious among the sects. We now have a 
great many learned preachers, who deliver elaborate dis- 
courses, biij; seldom rebuke sin except at a distance.* 
Thus they have many disciples. But, alas ! if the favorite 
preacher is not to be there, only a few come out even on 
the Lord's day. If any old-fashioned preacher comes 
along, and talks about old-fashioned religion — such as 
' To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction 
and keep himself unspotted from the world' — they say, 
' Ah, this will never do — this is old fogyism !' Thus we 
are becoming more and more conformed to the world. In 

•^ Elder Hostetler would not be understood as opposed to an 
educated ministry ; and tlie fault whicli lie justly finds with 
modern preachers no doubt appears greater when contrasted 
with the plain, blunt manner of the *' former days." 



JOSEPH HOSTETLER. 73 

theory we are riglit, but in practice how far do we fall be- 
' the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ !^ 

'' The light of the world ! The salt of the earth ! ' If 
the light that is in us be darkness, how great is that dark- 
ness !' ^ If the salt have lost its savor wherewith shall 
it be salted V 

''What else than unfruitfulness can we reasonably expect 
if we walk not habitually with God ? If we have no 
pleasure in obeying him ; no pleasure in his holy ordi- 
nances ; but if we have pleasure in the things of earth — 
its goods, its honors, its fashions, its follies, its forbidden 
joys — whatever our professions of Christianity may be — 
we can never stand justified before the Judge of quick and 
dead in the great day of eternity. 

" Long after I shall have gone to the grave, and, as I 
trust, to rest, these words may meet the eyes of thousands 
who have heard my feeble voice within the last forty-five 
years. Let me therefore, for the last time, and standing, 
as I do, near the brink of the grave, entreat them to live 
for Christ, for Heaven, for the success of the glorious 
cause in which they are engaged. 

' Why should we love the things of time ? This world 
is a Golgotha ; and during every hour of the cycles of 
earth, thousands are breathing their last ; and tens of 
thousands are weeping around their dying beds. Truly 
' The world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he 
that doeth the will of God abideth forever.' 

" Shall we not then so live that, when the coming of the 
Lord draweth nigh, each may say, with happy John, 
'Even so, come, Lord Jesus.' 

'' In the hope of eternal life, 

''Joseph Hostetler." 

Elder Hostetler is about five feet eight inches high, 
heavy set, and weighs about one hundred and seventy 

7 



74 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

pounds. He possesses extraordinary vigor of both mind 
and body. His years seem to press upon him lightly. 

Though by no means a scholar, yet he has gleaned, by 
the wayside, a great deal of useful knowledge. He is 
well acquainted with history — especially the history of 
the church and of the religion of different ages and 
nations. 

As a speaker he is of the " rough and ready" style — 
especially the "ready." Indeed he is particularly re- 
markable for the ability and apparent ease with which he 
can preach without previous preparation. His words are 
always at hand ; his ideas clear ; his gestures numerous 
and earnest. 

In his daily walk he endeavors to live peaceably with 
all men ; but in religious matters, he is fond of contro- 
versy; and indisposed to make any compromise that 
requires the sacrifice of one jot or tittle of the word of 
God. 

He is a man that has many warm friends ; and one, 
too, who has need to pray — as he no doubt does — for 
his enemies. He loves the truth of God, and jealously 
defends it at whatever sacrifice of ease or popularity. 

If he has fought, it has been a good fight ; and his cha- 
racter is such — take him all in all — that there is reason to 
believe there is laid up for him a crown of righteousness. 





"^^^■, 







JOHN B. NEW 



-<♦♦► 



Elder John Bowman New was born in Guilford county, 
North Carolina, November Tth, 1793. His father, Jethro 
New, was a native of Kent county, Delaware, born Sep- 
tember 20th, 1*151. He served as a soldier under General 
Washington, in the war of Independence ; and was one 
of the guards over the unfortunate Major Andre, whose 
execution he witnessed. His mother, whose maiden name 
was Sarah Bowman, was also born in Kent county, Dela- 
ware, on the 25th of May, 1764. His parents were both 
Calvinistic Baptists, thoroughly orthodox on the subject 
of Predestination ; and careful to instill into the minds of 
their children the traditions of the fathers. 

In the Fall of 1794, they emigrated to Kentucky, and 
settled in Franklin county, in Dry Bun, about five miles 
from Frankfort. This long journey through a rough, wild 
country, the mother and her infant son John B. made on 
horseback, the iron horse having not yet been created. 

After a residence of five years in Franklin county, they 
removed to within fifteen miles of the Ohio river ; entered 
three hundred acres of wild land in Owen county ; and 
settled upon it, about three and a half miles from where 
the town of New Liberty now stands. Their nearest 
neighbor at that time lived at a distance of five miles. It 
was therefore several years before the settlement was suf- 
ficiently populous to secure the advantages of a school. 
The first one was taught by Willis Blanton, to whom, on the 
first day of the term, flocked stalwart youths and blushing 
maidens, all — or nearly all — in their A B C's. The first 

75 



T6 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

day, Johnny New — as he was then called — learned his 
alphabet plus a line or tw^o of spelling; and throughout the 
term his progress was satisfactory to both teacher and 
parents. Subsequently his teachers were a Mr. Ward, 
Nathan Briton, and Henry Miller ; under whose instruc- 
tions he obtained a tolerable education, according to the 
standard of those times. The little one-story cabin in 
Owen county with its rude benches and puncheon floor, 
was the highest school he ever attended — to him it was 
both college and theological seminary. 

The education of his heart began at an earlier period 
than that of his head. When only four years old he had 
learned, and could sing very well, a song of fourteen 
stanzas, relating to a Koman Catholic girl who had been 
burnt at the stake for joining a Protestant church. This 
little hymn inspired his young heart with devotion to the 
truth and hatred of religious intolerance. His parents, 
brothers and sisters were all good singers ; and the family 
spent much of their time in singing the songs of Zion. 

When seven. years of age he attended, for the first time, 
a meeting for the worship of God. It was a prayer-meet- 
ing of the members of the Baptist church, not then or- 
ganized, and was held in a log-cabin erected in the forest 
by James Blanton. At the close of the exercises they 
extended to one another the hand of brotherly love ; and 
an old brother by the name of Moses Baker, warmly shook 
the hand of the little boy who was intently beholding their 
devotions. The little fellow was highly pleased with this 
expression of regard for him ; and from that day to this 
Elder New has been a great lover of prayer-meetings. 

Soon after this occurrence the first sermon he ever heard 
was preached by a Baptist named John Beece, a German 
who had been a soldier under General Washington. The 
next sermon he heard was by a Methodist preacher, by 
the name of Hardy. His text was, ''Say to the righteous 



JOHNB.NEW. 17 

it shall go well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of 
their doings ; but woe to the wicked, it shall go ill with 
them, for the reward of their hand shall be given them. " 
Although he had never been disobedient to his parents or 
guilty of falsehood or profanity ; yet he felt that he was 
classed among the wicked ; and, desiring that in eternity 
it should go well with him, and not ill, he resolved to seek 
a place among the righteous. To this end he read the 
Bible daily, and prayed often and fervently; and for a 
while he thought he was making rapid progress in ''the 
divine life.'^ But one day while guiding an old-fashioned 
plow around a large tree that stood in the field, the point 
of the plow caught under a root, throwing up the handles 
with such force as to hurt him severely, and causing the 
horse, in his recoil, to plant his foot on a hill of corn. 
This threw him into a terrible passion, which destroyed 
in a moment all confidence in his righteousness. The ac- 
cident has been of great service to him, admonishing him 
all along the journey of his Christian life to put away 
anger which ''resteth in the bosom of fools.'' 

The next discourse to which he listened was delivered 
by John Scott, a Baptist of more than ordinary ability. 
His subject, ''The Cumberers of the Ground," was pre- 
sented in such a manner as to cause young New to ad- 
dress himself again to the task of "seeking religion" — a 
search which was anxiously prosecuted for several weeks. 

At length on a certain afternoon, as he rose up from 
prayer for the fifteenth time that day, he felt that his sins 
had been blotted out. But after a few moments' reflection 
he concluded that this peace of mind was not owing to 
the presence of the Holy Spirit — that it was only Satan 
whispering to his conscience "peace, peace, when there 
was no peace." He therefore applied himself again to the 
work of prayer, that he might obtain from God an evidence 



78 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of pardon, or some new revelation of the divine will con- 
cerning him. 

Finally, after struggling a long time in the Slough of 
Despond, he read in Romans : — '' If thou shalt confess 
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy 
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt 
be saved." He read also in Mark : — ^' He that helieveth 
and is baptized shall be saved.'' Though he did not then 
know that baptism, preceded by faith and repentance, is 
^'for the remission of sins ;" yet he determined to confess 
the Messiah before men ; and be baptized in obedience to 
his command. At the next opportunity he did so ; and 
as he walked out of the water he proclaimed with a loud 
voice, to the many spectators : — '^This is the way^ walk 
ye in it.^^ 

At the next meeting of the Baptist church he united 
with them ; and for the space of three years continued to 
walk in what he believed to be all the statutes and ordi- 
nances blameless, praying often in secret and reading the 
Bible and other books of a religious character, prominent 
among which were Pilgrim's Progress and Whitfield's 
Sermons. 

About this time, being then sixteen years of age, he 
first conceived the idea of becoming, one day, a preacher 
of the gospel. 

In May, 1812, he was drafted as a soldier for six months, 
to defend Indiana Territory against the invasion of the 
Indians. He was not called into service until the next 
August, on the l^th of which month he joined Colonel 
Wilcox's regiment at Louisville, where he was Inspected 
by General Harrison, then on his way to Cincinnati to take 
command of the army of the north-west. 

Having been armed and equipped at JefiFersonville, his 
regiment marched first to the defense of Fort Harrison, 
then commanded by Captain Zachary Taylor, subsequently 



JOHN B. NEW. t9 

President of the United States. Afterwards thej marched 
up the Wabash to a point near La Fayette, whence they 
returned in January, haying passed the Winter thus far 
in the Jiax-linen clothing with which they left home in 
August! During the campaign he saw but one Indian, 
who was running at such a rate that he could not obtain 
a shot. Like Frederick Y. in his dying hour, he could 
say, ^' There is not a drop of blood on my hands." Since 
his prejudices against that unfortunate people have worn 
away, he is exceedingly glad that he took not the life 
of one. 

In the Spring of 1813 he entered the establishment of 
Matthew Craigmiles for the purpose of learning the trade 
of a cabinet maker. There he served out his apprentice- 
ship ; and afterwards opened a shop in the town of 
Cynthiana, Ky. 

Toward the last of February, 1814, the weather, which 
had been very warm, suddenly became extremely cold, 
occasioning a fearful disease, which the physicians called 
Cold Plague — a malady similar in many respects to 
Asiatic Cholera. 

After having lost a beloved brother and several other 
relatives. Elder New was himself seized with the swift 
destroyer. The attack was severe ; the physicians de- 
cided that he must die ; and his friends prepared for him 
his grave clothes. But while reflecting one day he came 
to the conclusion that he would not then die ; that his 
work for the Lord was not yet all accomplished ; and, 
perhaps, through the mysterious influence which the mind 
exerts over the body, or, it may be, through the provi- 
dence of God, the long-balanced scale turned in favor of 
life ; and he slowly regained his wonted health. 

On the 2d of February, 1815, he located in Madison, 
then a small village in Indiana Territory. The cause of 
his leaving Kentucky was the same that has driven many 



80 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

a good citizen from her fertile soil — namely, the institution 
of human slavery. His object in coming to Indiana 
was to assist in making it a free State. -His views of 
slavery may be most fairly given by an extract from an 
article written by himself In his own peculiar style, he 
says : ^' I saw that a man in a slave State might possess 
twice as much property as his slaveholding neighbor ; 
might have four times as good fare upon his table ; might 
have eight times as much sense ; and might manifest six- 
teen times as much honor in his business transactions ; 
and yet the slaveholder would not regard him as his 
equal. The possession of a few poor, ignorant, debased 
slaves was a standard of respectability that I was unwil- 
ling for myself and my posterity to be measured by. " 

In April, 1815, he cast his first vote, as a citizen of 
Indiana, for delegates to form the first free State consti- 
tution. In the same month he looked upon the first 
steamboat that ever ascended the Ohio. When the six- 
pounder announced her approach to the port, every man, 
woman, and child in the village— in all about forty fami- 
lies — ran down to the river to see the great wonder, the 
I\*obert Fulton ; while the cattle, differently affected, fled 
affrighted to the hills. 

Soon after his arrival at Madison, he entered the cabi- 
net shop of Henry Critz, where he worked as a journey- 
man for two or three years ; during the greater part of 
which time he served as clerk of the Baptist church at 
Mount Pleasant, near Madison. 

At this time and place the " great salvation" was gene- 
rally neglected ; and, falling in with the popular current, 
he too soon became '^barren and unfruitful." But he 
soon repented of his folly, and with tears sought the 
favor and the forgiveness of God. In order to renew his 
spiritual strength, he determined to visit New Liberty^ 
Ky., near which place protracted meetings were then 



JOHN B. NEW. 81 

being held with great success. He went in the spirit of 
David, praying God to create within him a clean heart, 
and restore unto him the joys of his salvation. 

The people among whom he went most certainly had a 
zeal for God, though their knowledge of the truth was 
imperfect. Their doctrine was corrupt, but their lives 
were pure ; and it is to be regretted that in many respects 
neither time nor the Reformation has produced their 
superiors in moral excellence. They were a praying 
people — in the family as well as at church ; in secret as 
well as in public. They were a simple people, compara- 
tively free from ''the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, 
and the pride of life." They were a happy people, sing- 
ing aloud the praises of God as they went to and from 
the house of worship. They were a patient people, 
never growing restless under a sermon sixty minutes 
long ; but often assembling an hour before sunset, and 
protracting their worship until midnight. Among such 
a people it was good for a faltering pilgrim to go ; for 
they that act thus '' declare plainly that they seek a 
country." On the next day after his arrival there he 
delivered his first exhortation, at the house of a brother, 
Samuel Sneed ; and, throughout the long series of meet- 
ings which followed, he took an active part in singing, 
prayer, and exhortation. 

After several weeks, the mdfe tings closed with about 
two hundred additions ; and he reluctantly returned to 
Madison. On the first Saturday after his arrival, at the 
request of the pastor, Jesse Yawter, he gave the church 
at Mt. Pleasant an account of the Kentucky revivals ; 
and exhorted them to diligence in the great work of 
saving a world that ''lieth in wickedness." This address 
was quite unexpected to the brethren, causing them to 
partially open their eyes and awake from their sinful 
slumber. 



82 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

On the next day — Sunday— after a sermon by the pas- 
tor, Elder New again arose, and began an earnest and 
touching exhortation. Many in the audience were soon 
weeping profusely ; and, when he sat down, the pastor, 
with tears streaming down his face, began to go through 
the house, exhorting and shaking hands indiscriminately. 
The effect was electrical ; and from that meeting the 
interest spread into the country on both sides of the 
Ohio ; nor did it abate until great numbers were " added 
to the saved." 

After his return to Madison, he endeavored to atone 
for past delinquencies by double diligence in the service 
of God. He quit all secular business, and entered upon 
the study of the Bible, with the aid of Scott's Commen- 
tary, resolved that, if the Lord should call him to preach 
the gospel, he would not be disobedient. He believed 
firmly in the doctrine of "a divine calP' to the ministry, 
as did thousands in his day, who, while waiting to re- 
ceive it, saw multitudes go by in the broad road to 
destruction, who, but for this grievous doctrine, would 
have been among those who shall ascribe '^ blessing, and 
honor, and glory, and power to Him that sitteth upon 
the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever." 

After studying and praying over this subject for several 
months, he finally compromised the matter by resolving 
that the church should assign him his sphere of action ; 
and that he would endeavor to do whatever they might 
require at his hands. They decided that he should 
preach; and he accordingly began about the year 1818. 
But, having spent all his money while investigating the 
question of a divine call, he was obliged to betake himself 
again to manual labor. Yet, with characteristic order 
and economy, he reserved four hours out of tbe twenty- 
four for study. 

On the 19th of February, 1818, he was married to Miss 



JOHN B. NEW. 83 

Maria Chalfaut, the third daughter of Thomas and Mary 
Chalfant, who resided in Kentucky, seven miles from 
Madison, on the Frankfort road. Her parents were from 
Pennsylvania ; and both they and their daughter were 
Baptists, and opposed to the institution of slavery. The 
choice of his youth, and the sharer of his toils and trials 
in the gospel, is still the companion of his old age. 

Soon after his marriage, he and several others were 
appointed a committee to amend and enlarge the rules of 
decorum of the Mt. Pleasant church. When the commit- 
tee met, he inquired of them if, in their opinion, the 
church required rules to enforce any thing which the 
Lord had not commanded in the ]N'ew Testament. They 
said, " Certainly not." He next inquired if they thought 
the church needed rules forbidding any thing which the 
Lord had not forbidden in the Scriptures. This was also 
answered in the negative. '' Then," said he, " it would 
take much time, ink, and paper to write out all the Chris- 
tian duties and privileges ; and, on looking into the law 
of the Lord, I find that he has graciously relieved us 
from so much labor and expense, by enumerating them 
for us ; I therefore move that this committee recommend 
to the church the adoption of the Holy Bible as their all- 
suf&cient rule of faith and practice." Such a report was 
accordingly made and adopted by the congregation. It 
will be remembered that this was at a very early period. 
As yet no great reformer had clearly brought to light the 
evil of creeds ; and he reached his conclusions by follow- 
ing the plain reading of the word of God. 

In March, 1821, he removed to Yernon, Jennings 
county. In a short time Joel Butler, an orthodox Baptist 
preacher of Indianapolis, delivered a discourse at the 
house of Luther iS'ewton, near Yernon ; and called on 
brother New" to close the meeting. In doing so he pressed 
upon the audience the duty of complying with the '* con- 



81 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

ditions" of the gospel. After dismission, the chief speaker 
approached him, with an air of great concern, saying, 
^' Brother New, are there any conditions in the gospel ? 
If so, what are they ?" In reply to this singular question 
he quoted Mark xvi. 16, Rev. ii. 10, and Heb. x. 38. 
Most of the Baptist preachers of that day were equally 
ignorant of the plan of salvation. They believed that 
God either would or would not have mercy, according to 
his own good pleasure ; and that the sinner either should 
or should not be saved, according to his predestination to 
glory or to shame. 

On this subject of predestination he had much contro- 
versy with his brethren, who stigmatized him as an Ar- 
minian because he was not a Calvinist. On one occasion, 
a Baptist from Kentucky preached in the court house at 
Vernon ; and vulgarly announced to the audience that he 
was " a predestinarian up to his knees, with a steel hoop 
and an iron jacket." He and Elder New went to the 
same house for dinner ; and at the table a controversy 
arose between them, which continued, with a short inter- 
mission for sleep, until nearly noon the next day. It is 
said that when Sir Orthodox went back to Kentucky, he 
unlaced his jacket somewhat, and did not wade quite so 
deep in the mire of predestination. 

The first standard work on theology that he read was 
Gill's Body of Divinity. Finding that it advocated the 
doctrine of a partial atonement, he laid it aside, when 
finished, and christened it GilPs Body of Humanity ; be- 
cause it was, in his opinion, as unlike the Divinity of 
Christ as John Gill was unlike the Messiah. He next 
read Andrew Fuller's Gospel, which he found to be very 
different from PauPs ; for, although it taught that Christ 
made an atonement for all, yet none could believe unless 
first regenerated by the Holy Spirit, which was effectually 
imparted '' according to the determinate counsel and fore- 



JOHNB.NEW. 85 

knowledge of God;" thus virtually attributing the loss 
of the non-elect to Adam and the Almighty, while Gill 
laid the blame upon Adam and the Redeemer ! 

As fast as he could condemn such doctrines of men by 
comparing them with the word of God, he threw them 
aside ; for he had determined that, in matters of doctrine, 
he would reject every thing which was not as old as the 
New Testament ; and that he would confine himself as 
closely as possible to the language of the Book, when 
speaking of Father, Son, Holy Spirit, faith, repentance, 
baptism, remission of sins, and whatever else is intimately 
connected with man's salvation — a practice which, if 
adopted by all preachers, would soon utterly destroy the 
worthless dogmas that distract the church and stay the 
progress of the gospel. 

So numerous were these dogmas then, that it often 
happened that there would be several sorts of Baptists in 
one congregation. At one time the church at Yernon 
wished to prepare a letter for the Silver Creek Association. 
In carrying out their wish a difficulty arose as to the 
manner in which the said letter should be prefaced. Some 
desired that the adjective " United" should be prefixed ; 
others preferred the prefix " Regular ;" while some, for the 
sake of compromise, suggested the single word ^'Baptist." 
To this Joel Butler stoutly objected, and, in his turn, sug- 
gested that it be written: "The Calvinistic Glose-Gom' 
munion Baptist Chuy^cW — a name eminently commemora- 
tive of him who loved the church and gave himself for it I 
But, says the practice of the orthodox, 

* * Wliat's in a name ? 
A rose by any otlier name would smell as sweet." 

Soon after his removal to Yernon, he began to preach once 
a month in Ripley county, where he soon organized a 
church according to the word of the Lord. Among the 

8 



86 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

many additions to that congregation was old father Wiley, 
then seventy-five years of age — almost ready to descend 
into an earthy, instead of a watery grave. He had been 
a Methodist iov forty years^ and when he walked out into 
the stream he took hold of his coat with both hands and 
turning toward the large assembly he said, " Some may 
think that the old man is about to change his coat in his 
old age ; but if I change it for the better I hope you will 
excuse me." His wife, who had been a Methodist for 
thirty years, preceded him into the kingdom. They both 
walked worthy of their vocation during the remainder of 
their earthly pilgrimage ; and died in full assurance of 
faith. 

A little prior to the immersion of father Wiley, a few 
of that congregation, through the influence of Baptist 
preachers, became greatly afraid that Elder New would 
lead the church into ^^ Campbellism." They therefore 
summoned, from the neighboring churches, a council to 
assist them in placing their pastor on the iron bedstead. 
On a certain day the counselors came, and after a dis- 
course by Elder New, the clerk of the church, who was 
one of the alarmists, asked permission to read the Articles 
of Faith of the Silver Greek Association. Permission be- 
ing granted the articles were read ; whereupon a brother 
James McClusky arose, and offered the following resolu- 
tion : '* Whereas the church of Christ at this place has 
lived together in peace and love, under the government 
of the Lord without any rules of man's device, therefore 

^'Resolved, That the said church continue to live by and 
under his laws alone, as revealed in the New Testament." 
This resolution was adopted by a vote of thirty-five to 
seven ; and the " council" retreated in the direction of 
Silver creek ! 

About this time, it seems that others became alarmed 
at Gampbellism. While the Association was in session 



JOHN B. NEW. • 8t 

at Shann creek, Bartholomew county, a brother Daniel 
Pritchard arose and delivered the following lamentation. 
Said he, " I expect to be compelled to live and die with 
Arminians, a thing which I can submit to, though it hurts 
my feelings to call them brethren ; but to live in full fel- 
lowship with Campbellites (glancing at Elder New) is 
more than I can endure.'' Upon this Elder New stood 
up, and, with an air of great seriousness, observed that, 
if there were such persons about, it would be well to have 
them pointed out so that all good people might avoid them. 
The conscientious brother, who afterwards came into the 
Reformation, did not s^-y any thing further, being no doubt 
in the condition of another opposer who said of a certain 
discourse, that he would have liked it very well if it had 
not been so full of Campbellism. '' True," said he, '' I do 
not know what Campbellism is, and God forbid I ever 
should know." 

In April, 1830, there being much strife and disorder in 
the congregation at Yernon, he, with some eleven others, 
including his wife and his brother Hickman New, obtained 
from the church letters of dismission in full fellowship, 
designing to organize as a separate church. For the 
satisfaction of all concerned they requested that a council 
should be summoned from six adjacent churches, by the 
decision of which they pledged themselves to be governed. 
The council met and decided that they should postpone 
the new organization for one year, in hope that in the 
mean time Providence would indicate some means by 
which they might all dwell together in peace. He there- 
fore waited until the next Spring, when he began to 
preach the Reformation in the Baptist church. In July 
following he immersed his brother Hickman's wife '' for 
the remission of sins. " On Saturday evening before his 
regular meeting in September, he preached at his own 
house, and Perry M. Blankenship, whom he had brought 



88 P'lONEER PREACHERS. 

up and educated, confessed his faith in the Son of God. 
Brother Blankenship's entrance into the kingdom was 
strangely opposed by his relatives, especially by his 
mother, who, when she heard of his confession, declared 
that she would rather have heard of his death ! — .The next 
day she came post-haste to meeting to prevent his im- 
mersion. But her objections were finally overruled, and 
her son, through obedience, became a son of God. He 
afterwards studied theology, though compelled to labor at 
the work bench ; and has been for many years an efficient 
evangelist. 

In November, 1831, he organized the Church of Christ 
at Yernon, with about thirteen members, to whom were 
soon added several others, including the wife of P. M. 
Blankenship. 

In the Summer of 1832, Colonel John King, the county 
surveyor, came to Elder New's house on Sunday morning 
with a change of raiment. After some conversation on 
the subject of religion, he confessed his faith in Jesus, 
and stated that he had come on purpose to obey him. 
After the morning service at church he was immersed, 
and in a short time he became a zealous and successful 
preacher. Through his influence, his father, then a deist, 
profane and dissipated — was brought occasionally into 
the sanctuary. He had not long heard the word until he 
also believed ; and one day, while Elder New was in the 
midst of a discourse, he rose up in the congregation and 
expressed his desire to confess the Saviour before men, 
and be buried with him by baptism into death. The ser- 
mon being discontinued and an invitation given, he, his 
son George, and several others came forward to the 
acknowledgment of the truth. His wife, who had been 
brought up a Presbyterian, soon followed him into the 
Reformation, as did others of the relatives, in all about 
twenty. The old man continued a faithful and devoted 



JOHN B. NEW. 89 

disciple uDtil the day of his death, Christ and the cross 
being his constant theme. 

In August, 1832, he attended a meeting at the Bluffs 
of White River, some fifteen miles below Indianapolis. 
There he first met John O'Kane, who agreed to meet him 
at Greensburg in September and go with him thence to 
Yernon to assist in a protracted meeting to be held there 
in October. They met according to agreement, and held 
their meeting at Greensburg on the last Saturday and 
Sunday in September. On the next day they set out for 
Yernon by way of Madison, preaching at JSTew Marion, 
Hebron, Madison, and Franklin's school-house. At the 
last place David C. Branham was immersed — the first of 
that large family that came out in opposition to all human 
creeds. On Friday morning they arrived at Yernon, 
where they met with a sore disappointment. They found 
that the Baptist church, which had long been engaged for 
the occasion by the Disciples, was occupied by the Pres- 
byterians of Hanover, who were holding in it their Pres- 
bytery. A Methodist Quarterly Meeting was in progress 
in the court house ; and there was left no better place 
for holding their meeting than in Hickman New's cabinet 
shop. Previous to their arrival the brethren had set the 
shop in order, and, hoping that all things would work 
together for good, they began their meeting. It con- 
tinued for about a week, and resulted in forty-five addi- 
tions — the truth triumphing gloriously over its allied 
opposers. The Presbyterians had no accessions ; the 
Methodists drew only a few to the anxious seat, the most 
of whom went away to the Christians' meeting, and 
obtained pardon by attending to what had been appointed 
for them to do ; while the Baptists were rewarded for 
their faithlessness by the loss of ten of their members, 
who went over to the Reformation. 

About this time he began to preach monthly at Coffee 



90 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

creek, some twelve miles from Yernon. It was a Baptist 
community, and he held his meetings in the Baptist church. 
It was not long however until the chain and padlock — 
''the last arguments to which errorists resort" — were 
placed upon the door. At this crisis two of the Baptists, 
more noble than the rest, invited him to preach in their 
houses, at the same time addressing him as ''brother New." 
For this act they were arraigned before the church, which 
had already agreed to be governed by the word of God. 
To that word they appealed, but were informed that they 
were to be tried by the Baptist rules. They then plead 
successfully that those rules did not forbid their calling a 
good man brother or inviting him to preach in their dwell- 
ings. It was then charged in the indictment that they 
had hurt the feelings of the church. On this charge they 
were excluded ; but through the door, which was opened 
for their egress, about twenty others went out — so great 
a matter did a little fire kindle. He continued his meet- 
ings and organized a church there which soon numbered 
a hundred members, about half of whom were from the 
Baptists. In a little while they built a substantial brick 
meeting-house, which, to this day commemorates the vic- 
tory at Coffee creek. 

In JSTovember, 1832, he and Carey Smith organized the 
Church of Christ at Madison, which consisted at first of 
about a dozen members. Among the original members 
were Jessee Mavity and his wife. Elder Mavity had 
been preaching for a few years and was an educated and 
promising evangelist. To support his family he taught 
school in the basement of the Masonic Hall, assisted by 
his brother Henry Mavity. Prior to the organization of 
the church, he had preached with great acceptance for the 
several denominations of the city, all of whom were liberal 
patrons of his school. But no sooner was an effort made 
to build a church on the foundation which God has laid 



JOHN B. NEW. 91 

m Zion, than thej induced him to change his common 
school to a High School, assuring him that he would thus 
make a better support with less labor. The change being 
made, they withdrew so much of their patronage that the 
High School proved a failure. He was therefore com- 
pelled to leave the city and retire into the country — a 
movement which deprived the infant church of a pastor. 
This seems to have been a strategic movement on the part 
of the allied sects to which they were no doubt prompted 
by the Scripture which saith, ''Smite the shepherd^ and 
the sheep shall he scattered.'^ 

The stategy, however, did not succeed. Elder New 
went to the relief of the congregation, which he visited 
once a month gratuitously until they w^ere able to sustain 
a preacher. Thus he not only planted, but also saved, the 
Church of Christ at Madison. 

Having assisted in building a good brick meeting-house 
at Vernon, and having placed the cause upon a good foot- 
ing, he determined to entrust the work, in that county, to 
his brother Hickman and several other young preachers. 
Accordingly in October, 1839, he removed to Greensburg, 
Decatur county, where there was a languishing church of 
some thirty members. His first meeting was on a beauti- 
ful Lord's day in October ; but, the brethren had so far 
forsaken the assembling of themselves together, that there 
were but thirteen of them and three small boys present. 
After the discourse, he and his wife handed their letters 
to one of the bishops, and were received into what little 
fellowship the church possessed. The prospect was so 
dark that his wife wept bitterly ; and his stouter heart 
was not a little discouraged. They had left their com- 
fortable old home ; were in debt for their new one ; and 
without even the promise of a single dollar from the 
church at that place. But he looked upon the Lord's 
vineyard, all grown over with thorns, and also upon the 



92 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

field ripe for the harvest ; he girded up his loins with 
truth ; set his sickle in order ; and resolved to labor, and 
wait for his reward until the resurrection of the just. 

He appointed a protracted meeting to be held early in 
November; and obtained the assistance of George Cald- 
well of Rush, and Samuel Ellis of Decatur. At the first 
meeting on Saturday morning eight persons were present, 
one of whom had walked from Hartsville, a distance of 
fourteen miles. On Saturday night there were twelve 
present ; on Sunday twenty-five ; and the hig meeting 
adjourned sine die. It was about four months before he 
could get a tolerable hearing ; but he received as much 
pay, almost, from the empty pews as from the people, so 
he toiled on, preaching in town every Thursday night and 
five times on one Saturday and Sunday of each month, 
and holding meetings in school-houses and private dwell- 
ings throughout a district of ten miles square. Such 
persevering industry, accompanied with fervent prayer to 
the Giver of all increase, could not fail to produce some 
good results ; and during the first year there were seventy- 
five additions to the church. He preached at Greensburg 
one fourth of his time for six years ; and each year brought 
about fifty into the fold of Christ. Under his diligent 
culture, the small seed which he found there took such 
deep root that it has steadily grown into a great tree 
under whose shadow all other gospels enjoy but a sickly 
existence. 

In December, 1839, he went to Cincinnati, where he 
preached five discourses and had twelve additions. This 
was the beginning of the great meeting, which lasted 
three whole months, and resulted in two hundred and fifty 
accessions to the cause of righteousness and truth. 

In January, 1840, he organized a church five miles 
south of Greensburg ; and continued to preach for them 
monthly until they reached a membership of sixty. In 



JOHNB.NEW. 93 

June of the same year lie held a meeting at Napoleon, 
Kipley county. At this point there was no Christian 
church, nor were there more than two or three disciples 
in all that region. After a meeting of four daj^s' continu- 
ance^ there was a church there of twenty-four members. 
The twenty-two additions were from eleven different re- 
ligious parties I Hence it appears that the ancient gospel, 
which in the days of Paul made ^' of twain one new man," 
has not yet lost its power ; for it has in this century made 
of eleven one new church. Notwithstanding their differ- 
ences of opinion previous to their union, they afterwards 
stood together as one man ; and Christ became "' all and in 
all. " So icould all material differences of opinion perish^ 
were they not . embalmed, like Egyptian bodies j in the 
Creeds and Confessions of Faith. 

In May, 1841, he held a meeting at Milroy, in Rush 
county. The padlock being on the door of the M. E. 
church, he preached at the house of Austin Smith. There 
was then no Christian church at that place, and only one 
disciple, the wife of Dr. Samuel Barbour. On Monday 
morning the citizens said to him that if he would return 
in eight weeks they would have a house ready for his use. 
When he came, accompanied by Jos. Fassett, the house 
was ready. They preached in it a few days, and left 
there a church of seventeen members. Them also he fed 
with the sincere milk of the word, until they were able to 
take care of themselves. They are still a large congre- 
gation, and have a good house of worship. 

In August, 1841, he and Joseph Fassett held a meeting 
of two days at Shelbyville, and immersed one. There 
were then but three disciples at that place, and the oppo- 
sition was very strong. He returned in March, 1842 ; 
preached several days in the town and vicinity, and with 
great difficulty collected sufficient materials to organize a 



94 . PIONEER PREACHERS, 

church, to which, in April following, he added some twenty 
disciples. 

The same year, 1842, he organized two more churches 
— one at Milford, and the other at Blue River. He also 
held that year a number of protracted meetings, extend- 
ing his circuit as far as Rising Sun. 

On the first Lord's day in March, 1843, the weather 
being very cold, he began a protracted meeting at Edin- 
burg, Johnson county. When he arrived at the church 
on Monday morning, a little before the hour for preaching, 
he found the door still locked. He hunted up the key, 
unlocked the door, and proceeded to examine the stove, 
which he found cold as the church, and nearly full of 
ashes. These he carried out, and began to cast about 
him for wood to make a fire. Finding none save some 
large hickory logs, he procured an axe, prepared wood, 
and soon had a comfortable fire. By this time a faithful 
few had assembled ; and, being already '^ warmed up," he 
discoursed to them with unusual ease and fluency. Not- 
withstanding this sad beginning, he continued the meet- 
ing for several days ; and closed with nineteen additions, 
most of whom were persons of wealth, intelligence, and 
moral worth. 

In September, 1846, he held a meeting at Williams- 
burg, Johnson county. When he began, a certain brother 
observed that he would not be afraid to promise him a 
hundred dollars for every one he would immerse, there 
being much sickness in the neighborhood, and also a great 
sale of personal property, which attracted the attention 
of the people. He continued to preach to very small 
audiences until Thursday afternoon, at which time there 
were sixteen persons present — ten citizens of the king- 
dom, and six ^^ foreigners." Of these six, he immersed, 
that afternoon, five ; and the other waited only a few days, 



JOHN B. NEW. 95 

to obtain the consent of his mother. This circumstance 
fairly illustrates his perseverance and hope. 

In October, 1846, he was appointed by the State Meet- 
ing as missionary to Fort Wayne, for a period of one 
year. He was to receive out of the treasury two hun- 
dred and fifty dollars, and the balance of his expenses he 
was to meet by the labor of his own hands. On the Yth 
of November he arrived at Fort Wayne, in which were 
then only two sisters and one brother. On the evening 
of the 15th he preached his first sermon, in the court 
house, all the churches being closed against him. Fort 
Wayne then contained eleven churches, and a population 
of about four thousand, of whom one thousand were 
Koman Catholics and nearly another thousand German 
Lutherans. The claims of the ancient gospel were firmly 
disputed by the ^' clergy," who spared no pains to preju- 
dice the public mind against it. From any point of view 
the prospect was by no means flattering, if not absolutely 
discouraging. However he still persevered in the work, 
and it was not long until his efforts were rewarded by the 
conversion of an Episcopal minister by the name of 
Edward Hodgkins, who became an able advocate of 
primitive Christianity. 

It was two full months before he could command a 
large audience ; but, when he began to immerse believers 
in the canal, in which the ice was more than a foot thick, 
the inhabitants became anxious to know more of those 
people that were everywhere spoken against. 

At the expiration of the first half of his year there was 
at Fort Wayne a Christian church of fifty members, with 
a well-attended and interesting Sunday-school. During 
the other six months he preached half his time at other 
points, including Auburn and Newville, De Kalb county ; 
Ashland, Wabash county ; and Huntington and Wabash- 
town, Huntington county. The result of his labors for 



96 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

the year was two churches organized, and one hundred 
and fifty-five accessions to the cause of primitive Chris- 
tianity. 

During the next six months he preached for the churches 
at Marion, Ashland, Wabashtown, and Huntington. In 
those days he usually travelled in a buggy, and was fre- 
quently accompanied by his wife. The roads were some- 
times in such wretched plight that the horse could with 
difficulty draw the buggy containing sister New alone. 
In such cases the evangelist would be compelled to alight, 
and, with pantaloons well rolled up, plod his weary way 
through almost unfathomable depths of mud. Yet he 
patiently endured all for Christ's sake and the gospel's ; 
and, on reaching terra firma, he would mount again into 
his carriage, with all the hopefulness of the poet, when 
he sang : 

**Come, let us anew 

Our journey pursue ; 

Roll round with, the year, 

And never stand still, 
Till the Master appear." 

In the Spring of 1848 he returned to Greensburg ; and 
during the following Summer and Fall he visited most of 
the churches he had planted, confirming the brethren. 

In January, 1849, he preached, by invitation, before 
the Co-operation Meeting then in session at Crawfords- 
ville. In March following, he was employed for one year 
by the brethren at Crawfordsville, to which place he re- 
moved. The church was then in a sad state, owing to 
strifes and divisions. He labored long and earnestly in 
the capacity of a peace-maker, and finally succeeded in 
reconciling the most of them ; but the influence of their 
example was such upon the world that he could accom- 
plish but very little outside of the congregation. 

At the close of his year he went back to Indianapolis, 



JOHNB.NEW. 9 



H 



where lie fixed his permanent residence, perhaps for life. 
For about six months after his return to that city he was 
employed as agent and evangelist for the State Mission- 
ary Society. During this time he travelled extensively 
i'a various parts of the State ; and his efforts were attended 
with good success. 

During the year 1852, being again employed by the 
Missionary Society, he preached in the counties of Madi- 
son and Delaware ; and with such success that he was 
continued in that field six months longer. Within the 
eighteen months he organized five new churches, and 
made one hundred and twenty-five proselytes. 

In February, 1853, he held a meeting at Terre Haute, 
which greatly strengthened the church in that city. In 
March following he organized the church at Paris, Illi- 
nois, and left it with thirty-seven members. 

About this time the great controversy with regard to 
the powers of elders and evangelists was sweeping like a 
tornado over Illinois, laying church after church in ruins. 
Perceiving that general destruction was inevitable unless 
the tempest could be stayed. Elder New made a tour 
through that State, preaching almost exclusively to the 
brethren, and exhorting them to ''keep the unity of the 
spirit in the bond of peace. '^ 

At Jacksonville he addressed the State Meeting on the 
subject of Missions, on which occasion he presented the 
following as the essential elements of a successful mis- 
sionary : 1st. Godliness. 2d. A clear understanding of 
the Christian system. 3d. Aptness to teach. 4th. A tho- 
rough acquaintance with human nature. 

During the year 1860, he served the congregations at 
Mishawaka, South Bend, and Harris' Prairie, St. Joseph 
county. When he first visited those churches, some were 
weak and powerless on account of divisions. He suc- 
ceeded in removing the most of these obstacles ; and the 
9 



98 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

gospel, in St. Joseph, now has ''free course that it may 
run and be glorified.^' 

During the past year he has continued to reside at In- 
dianapolis ; from which point he has gone in every direc- 
tion, preaching the gospel wherever there has been a de- 
mand for his services. 

Having thus reached the present, history can proceed 
no further ; but if one had the gift of prophecy this sketch 
might no doubt be considerably extended. For, though 
old in years, the subject of it is still young in spirit, and 
there is reason to hope that he will yet do much that will 
redound to the glory of God and the advancement of the 
Redeemer's kingdom. But already, as he looks back 
through sunshine and shadow to the churches he has 
planted, the schisms he has healed, the opposers he has 
vanquished, and the hearts he has cheered, he may well 
rejoice that he has not run in vain neither labored in vain, 



In the. physical contour of John B. New there is nothing 
remarkable. He is a man of medium size, blessed by na- 
ture with more than ordinary activity. Altogether, he is 
a man of yery good appearance ; and one, you may be 
sure, who never appears to disadvantage through any 
neglect of his toilette. Every hair knows its inevitable 
position ; which position his nicely smoothed hat is careful 
never to disturb. His snow-white cravat is always tied 
precisely so, and his large full shirt bosom is spotless as 
the soul of a saint. His boots are generally well blacked, 
and you might as well search for the philosopher's stone 
as for a grease-spot upon his clothing. Yet you must 
not think he is foppish, he is only neat — hardly ever up 
with the fashion, but generally dressed a little after the 
style of the olden time. 

Not merely in dress, but in every thing, he is cleanly 
even to a fault. Should he see you enter your own house 



JOHN B. NEW. 99 

with a little mucl adhering to your shoe, he would hardly 
hesitate to tell you to step out and remove the intruder ; 
and if, in a house at which he is stopping, the children 
have very dirty faces — or if the window panes are so dusty 
that he cannot see out clearly — the good sister in charge 
need not be surprised to receive from him a gentle hint 
relative to the virtues of warm water. It is a matter of 
regret, therefore, that with some housewives he is not a 
favorite — yet he is ''not a terror to good works but to the 
evil." 

He takes care that every thing is done not only ''de- 
cently," but also in order. Every book and paper must 
be in just the right place. When he writes every i must 
be dotted, and every t crossed ; and, about the whole 
premises, every thing must be done ^M^i then and .so. It 
is related of him that in one of his preaching tours he was 
tarrying on Saturday at the house of a brother, who to 
the neglect of his work had kept him company all the 
afternoon. Towards nightfall he observed to his host 
that if he had any chores to do, any wood to get, or 
chickens to catch, it was then the proper time to attend 
to such business. If this he true, there was not a parti- 
cle of selfishness in the whole matter. It was not his 
appetite, but his hump of order that constrained him to 
offer the suggestion. 

But with all these little faults, which lean to virtue^s 
side, he is an agreeable, an amiable man. Deep down 
below these surface appearances he has a frank, generous 
nature ; a pure, warm heart. He grasps your hand like 
a brother indeed ; and when he says, " How do you do ?" 
it is because he really desires to know that you are well. 

His mind is well informed, though neither of the high- 
est order nor thoroughly cultivated. He has a large share 
of the sound common-sense which Providence bestowed on 
the generation past in lieu of the colleges and universities 



100 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

vouchsafed to the generation present. He has a remarka- 
bly good memory, retentive of time, place, and event ; 
supplying him promptly with chapter and verse ; and 
reaching back almost to infancy. 

In the pulpit, he is an eccentric, yet safe teacher — an 
earnest and effective exhorter. His gestures are quick, 
cramped, and rectilinear ; and he utters bluntly whatever 
he thinks, whether it relates to friend or foe. He is mainly 
argumentative, proving all things and holding very fast 
that which is good. Owing to his highly nervous tem- 
perament, he thinks and speaks rapidly ; yet he is not 
always brief; and it need not surprise you if in his enu- 
meration of topics he ascend even to thirteenthly . True, 
he very often looks at his elegant watch ; but he cares no 
more for its admonitions than he does for a Confession of 
Faith. 

He enters with spirit into his subject ; but it is said 
that he never becomes so excited in speaking, that he fails 
to notice, a dog if one ventures into the house of God. 
It is said further, that, in such a case, he stops suddenly ; 
indulges in a few significant looks and gestures ; and if 
no one else restores order, he quietly descends from the 
pulpit ; takes his cane ; expels the intruder ; and then re- 
sumes his discourse. No Jew could have been much more 
zealous in excluding the idolater from the Holy Temple. 

Altogether he is a character worthy of the pen of a 
Shakspeare. He has done but little evil to live after him, 
and the good that he has accomplished can never be ''in- 
terred with his bones." He may pass away, and his chil- 
dren in the gospel may lie down with him to sleep in dust ; 
but the churches he has planted will flourish after his 
death; the principles he has helped to establish will sur- 
vive even his memory ; and the spirits of the just, made 
perfect through the gospel he has preached, shall live and 
rejoice with him forever before the throne of God. 




U ^rcc'o? c-^-zj?^ 






^^-t^^-C^^H^ /u^^c^^caZ 




BEVEELY VAWTER 



-*%*- 



, Elder Beverly Yawter is a native of Virginia, bom 
•on tlie 28tli of September, I'ISO — the same year in which 
George Washington was inaugurated first President of 
the United States. In the same year also, Ethan Allen 
died, and thus the place of the celebrated infidel was sup- 
plied by the veteran Christian. 

His parents, Philemon and Ann Yawter, were both 
born in Culpepper county, Yirginia, and brought up in 
the Episcopal Church. Soon after their marriage they 
crossed the mountains and settled in Western Yirginia, 
where their son Beverly was born. 

In It 92 they emigrated to Kentucky, then a new-born 
babe in the sisterhood of States. They settled in Wood- 
ford county, and united with the Baptist church, in which 
faith they lived and died without reproach Several 
years prior to his death, the father became a Baptist 
preacher. 

In about three years after their settlement in Woodford 
county, they removed to a new home, on the bank of the 
Ohio, in Boone county, Ky. There Elder Yawter spent 
his boyhood, surrounded by savages and a few adventu- 
rous pioneers. Books were so scarce in those times that 
he was a full-grown man before he saw even an almanac ! 
The best family library contained only a Bible and hymn 
book, while newspapers and religious magazines were not 
only unseen but almost unheard of. 

Under such circumstances his education was necessarily 
very limited. He farmed, shivered with the ague, and 

101 



102 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

went to what was called school, alternately ; and if it 
were all summed up — lost time being deducted — his 
student life would amount to less than two years. To 
spell, read, write, and '' cipher" a very little, was all he 
learned at school. He has not, by his own efforts, greatly 
multiplied his literary and scientific attainments ; but by 
reading and observation he has, in the course of his long 
life, acquired a respectable stock of general information. 
When he entered into the Reformation, he was, in point 
of scholarship, one of the weak things which God has 
chosen to confound the things that are mighty. 

His first attempt to draw nigh to God, was in harmony 
with the religious teachings of his times, and not unlike 
the efforts of others whose histories are contained in this 
volume. It was simply a blind feeling after God in places 
where he has never promised to be found, attended with 
alternate seasons of hope and despair. In view of the 
darkness of that day and the light that now shines upon 
the way of life, he may well say to the people of this 
generation : '' Blessed are your eyes, for they see." But 
the darkness is not all dispelled. Some of the old errors 
still remain ; and, in order that the world may have still 
further evidence of their pernicious influence, the history 
of his conversion must be given. 

When he was about ten years old there was a great 
revival of religion in the only Baptist church then in 
Boone county. Every body seemed to be joining the 
church, under the stirring preaching of an aged minister 
named John Taylor. One day, after meeting, Mrs. Yaw- 
ter took occasion to talk with her son in regard to his 
religious impressions, saying that he seemed to be affected 
by the preaching ; that he ought to pray daily in secret ; 
and, if possible, ''get religion." Being a dutiful son, that 
never was chastised with the rod in all his life, he readily 
promised to follow her advice. 



B E V E R J Y Y A ^^ T E R . 103 

Soon after this, he again attended a meeting, at which 
a great many young persons — older, however, than him- 
self — were uniting with the church. One day, after a 
large in-gathering, the preacher arose and inquired if 
there was not " another little boy wishing to join :" then, 
growing personal in his exhortation, he added, '' Come, 
Beverly, and tell us how you feel." At the mention of 
his name, a certain Judge Watts took him up in his 
arms ; carried him, nolens volens, over the benches ; and . 
sat down with him among the mourners. The preacher 
with great solemnity asked him a great many questions, 
all of which he was too much abashed to answer. His 
mother came to his relief; and testified that, although she 
could not get him to talk, she knew he prayed every day; 
and she thought that from a given period she had noticed 
a change in his countenance ! This was .regarded, by the 
preacher and church, as good evidence of a sound con- 
version ! The next day they baptized him ; and gave 
him the right hand of fellowship. About the same time 
the wife of a Major Kirtley, a most excellent woman, 
presented to him a nice suit of clothes as an earnest of 
the many " good deeds" she afterwards performed for him. 
Thus he experienced a change of raiment^ instead of a 
change of heart! He suspected as much himself, but 
finally concluded that all was well, as the church seemed 
to think so ; and they were certainly better judges than 
himself. Soon, however, he expressed doubts as to his 
conversion ; but these very doubts were construed by his 
brethren into the most conclusive evidence that he was a 
child of God ! This is one of the errors that remain, as 
the following incident will show. 

About three years ago a Christian preacher was holding 
a protracted meeting in a strong Baptist community, in 
Warrick county, Indiana. He was accompanied by a 
young man, a disciple, who, some years before, had been 



|04 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

" powerfully converted" at the mourner's bench in the 
same house in which the meeting was being held. At 
the close of a discourse which made some encroachments 
on that peculiar institution of pardon, the disciple above 
mentioned arose and made the following i^evelation : 
Said he, " It will do you no harm to go to the mourner's 
bench." " Amen, that's a fact !" responded the Baptists. 
'' I am glad," he added, '' to see one become so humble 
that he is willing to go to the mourner's bench." Here 
the voice of the Baptist preacher rose above all others, 
saying, "Amen, go on Brother J — !" ''But," continued 
the speaker, '' the feelings there experienced must not he 
regarded as evidence of pdrdon.^^ (No response.) '' I 
experienced such feelings at this very altar, and I shouted 
and praised God, believing that my sins were forgiven." 
''But," said he, addressing the Baptists, who could not 
question his integrity, " the next day I doubted my con- 
version ; I expressed my doubts to you, and you said : 
' 0, never mind it, thaVs the way we all feelP^^ It is 
needless to say that this " most unkind cut of all" was 
received with profound silence. 

Agreeably to this advice. Elder Yawter tried to " never 
mind it ;" but the older he grew the more he was com- 
pelled to " mind it." He soon discontinued his prayers ; 
but he remained in the church until he reached his twenty- 
second year ; both because he feared to turn back, on his 
own account, and was unwilling to wound the feelings of 
his parents. At times he would renew his efforts to 
obtain a satisfactory evidence of his acceptance with 
God ; but it was all in vain. 

When in his twenty-second year, some disturbance 
occurred in the family of one of his brethren. He thought 
the brother was guilty of maltreating his wife; and he 
one day said to a neighbor that " such a fellow ought 
to be cowhided." This remark reached the ear of the 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 105 

church ; and a brother was sent to obtain from him an 
acknowledgment of his fault. Desiring to be excluded, 
he refused to confess. Being threatened with excommu- 
nication, he replied that he had never ''had religion;'^ 
and it was better for him to be out of the church than in 
it. This reply being reported, he was promptly ex- 
cluded — a matter which troubled him only as it distressed 
his parents. 

During the next five or six years of his life, he banished 
all religious impressions from his mind — God was not in 
all his thoughts. Within this time he volunteered twice 
in the service of his country; and, in the pioneer uniform, 
marched to the defense of the north-western frontier. At 
the close of the second campaign he exchanged the de- 
moralizing influences of camp-life for the evil communi- 
cations of river men. In the capacity of a flat-boat- 
man he made a trip to the South, experiencing by the 
way the earthquakes which occurred near New Madrid 
in 1811. 

On the 5th of March, 1812, he married Miss Elizabeth 
Crawford ; settled down upon a farm ; and, for a few 
years, devoted all his powers to the acquisition of wealth. 

On a certain Lord's day, in June, 1816, he went to hear 
a Newlight preacher. The discourse made no impres- 
sion on his mind ; for he was strongly prejudiced against 
that people on account of the bodily exercises* prevailing 
among them. Returning home, he was passing through 
his field of corn, then gently swayed by a summer breeze. 
^' This," said he to himself, " is God's blessing on a sin- 
ner, for which he receives no thanks." He instantly re- 

* " The bodilj agitations, or exercises, attending the excite- 
ment in the beginning of this century, were various, and called 
by various names — as, the falling exercise; the jerks; the 
dancing exercise ; the barking exercise ; the laughing, and 
singing exercise, &c." — Biography of W. B, Stone. 



106 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

solved that he would once more " praise the Lord for his 
goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of 
men." While, therefore, his wife was preparing dinner, 
he stole away into a grove ; and there offered thanks to 
God, beseeching him to grant unto him faith and remis- 
sion of sins, if indeed he was one of the elect — for he was 
a firm believer in the doctrine of eternal election, and 
faith as the direct gift of God, through the secret opera- 
tion of the Holy Spirit. He was a firm believer also in 
the Bible, if he had known it ; but he had been taught 
to expect '' some great thing'' instead of '' the simplicity 
that is in Christ.'' 

In search of faith he opened his mind to the Newlight 
preacher ; but he received from him no consolation. He 
informed his uncle, a Baptist preacher, that he '' could not 
obtain that divine faith which proceeds from the throne 
of God." His uncle tried to persuade him that he already 
had religion ; and offered to receive him into fellowship. 
He refused, observing that he would never rest until 
satisfied of his pardon. '^T/ia^," said his uncle, ''is a 
hard thing to know in this life, hut we hope on till death. '^^ 
How little better the consolations of such religion than 
the uncertain hopes of immortality cherished by the 
heathen philosophers ! Again he applied to an aged and 
intelligent Presbyterian, whose only reply was : ''A man 
cannot help what he believes." He attended the meet- 
ings of the sects within his reach, ever in search of one 
object, which he already possessed — that is faith. 

At last he obtained light on this subject in the follow- 
ing manner : On going, one day, to the house of his 
brother-in-law, he found his wife's sister alone and en- 
gaged in fervent prayer. He sat down on the door-step 
that he might not disturb her devotions. When she arose 
from prayer she approached him with a face bedewed 
with tears, and placed in his hand a small pamphlet, with 



BEVERLY V A WTER. IT 

the request that he would read it. It proved to Jje ''Stone, 
on the Doctrine of the Trinity, Atonement, and FaiUi. " 
He read with avidity the essay on Faith, which was short, 
pointed, and evangelical. Among the quotations intro- 
duced were Romans x. 1*7, and John xx. 30. These pas- 
sages relieved his mind; for if faith is only to believe 
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, on the authority of 
the written word, he was satisfied that he had it. But 
he did not yet enjoy the conviction that his sins were for- 
given ; therefore he continued his efforts to obtain pardon. 
The common methods of seeking it in those days were 
by prayer and by endeavoring to claim, in a special man- 
ner, some promise of the Lord. To both these expedients 
he resorted ; and in search of promises he happened upon 
these : '' He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.'' 
*' Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall 
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Upon these pro- 
mises he rested, assured that they indicated the way of 
salvation ; and, notwithstanding that he had been once 
baptized, he resolved to obey the commands afresh, and 
receive God's word as the evidence of his pardon. He 
communicated his intention to his wife, who expressed 
her determination to do likewise. The only question was 
to what church they should present themselves ; her rela- 
tives being Newlights and his being Baptists, to whose 
views he was strongly inclined. They were not long in 
deciding. John McClung, a Newlight, was preaching 
once a month in the neighborhood ; and they attended 
his next meeting. He presented the Bible alone as the 
only sufficient rule of faith and practice ; and, with great 
earnestness, urged all who loved the Lord Jesus in sin- 
cerity to forsake all human creeds, and unite on the foun- 
dation of apostles and prophets. This turned the scale 
in favor of the divine creed ; and on the first Lord's da} 



108 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

in January, ISl'I, they were immersed by John McClung. 
It was a clear, bitter cold day, and their garments froze 
upon them as they walked from the icy stream to the 
nearest house. But they were in possession of a good 
conscience ; and, by faith, they rejoiced in the assurance 
of the remission of sins and the hope of eternal life. 

Thus, under the religious systems of those times, was 
Elder Yawter eighteen years in experiencing the joys of 
salvation ! Yet the same systems, slightly modified, are 
still recommended to the people as the gospel of the Son 
of God ! How long, O Lord, how long, till the minds of 
the people shall no more be " corrupted from the simplicity 
that is in Christ !" 

A little subsequent to his immersion, a church was 
organized in his neighborhood. Elder Yawter was ap- 
pointed deacon ; they held social meetings weekly ; and 
the first year there were a great many additions. He then 
began to think of preaching to others the gospel he had 
been so long learning. But to this procedure two things 
stood opposed. At the door of the ministry the doctrine 
of ^^ a divine and effectual calP' confronted him. At this 
he halted, reflected, and prayed, until finally his uncle 
Jesse Yawter convinced him that a good opportunity to 
do good is the best (^all to the ministry. 

This difficulty being disposed of, another yet remained. 
He was so timid that he almost despaired of ever being 
able to speak in public. Of this weakness the following 
incident is a correct exponent : 

Having two children, which he wished to train up in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord, he set up an 
altar, and instituted family worship. He conducted the 
service very well while the family were left to themselves ; 
but it was not long until his mother came to pass a night 
under his roof. Her presence was a cross which he felt 
unable to bear. After a long conflict, conscience pre- 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 1(^9 

vailed. He read a chapter, and offered bis sacrifice of 
praise ; but so confused was be tbat, on kneeling down 
to pray, be felt tbat be " was spinning round bke a top," 
and wben be arose bis motber observed, " I tbougbt you 
were a good reader, Beverly, but you can scarcely read 
at all." 

Tbis diffidence be gradually overcame by singing, pray- 
ing, and exborting in tbe social meetings, of wbicb tbey 
bad many ; and, being encouraged to preacb tbe gospel, 
be finally gained tbe consent of bis mind to make tbe 
effort. Accordingly be was ordained as an evangelist in 
tbe year 1819, by Elders J. Crafton and John Henderson. 

In order to support his family, be determined to invest 
bis limited means in a carding machine. As be designed 
tbis to be driven by water power, be removed to Indiana 
in March, 1819, and settled a few miles above Madison, 
on the west fork of a small creek called Indian Kentucky. 
There he united with a church organized the summer 
before by John McClung and Henry Brown, preachers 
full of zeal and love, who have long since entered into 
rest. For tbat congregation he preached regularly ; and, 
aided by Truman Waldron and Joshua Loudrey, be held 
there a protracted meeting, which resulted in many 
additions. 

In 1820, having got his machine in successful opera- 
tion, and employed a hand to attend to it, he began to 
devote the most of his time to tbe proclamation of the 
word. About this time he began to travel, bis first tour 
being into Monroe county, where be held some interest- 
ing meetings. The burden of bis preaching at that time 
was tbe sufficiency of tbe Holy Scriptures for the govern- 
ment of tbe Church of Christ ; and in bis humble way be 
did much to weaken public confidence in human creeds, 
and direct the minds of the people to the Bible as tbe 
only authority in matters of religion. Thus was be pre- 
10 



110 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

paring the way for the Reformation, which was nigh at 
hand. 

In the winter of 1821 he visited a brother-in-law, who 
lived on Laughery creek, in a community in which sin 
so abounded that a Methodist and a Baptist preacher had 
been driven away by a mob. His brother-in-law received 
him kindly ; took him over his farm ; and did all in his 
power to interest him with things temporal ; but the 
preacher's thoughts were on things spiritual and eternal : 
he was considering how he might get an opportunity to 
declare unto them the gospel. 

As his host was a staunch Seceder, he did not suppose 
that he would be permitted to preach in his house ; but 
night came, and, somewhat to his surprise, he was invited 
to read and pray with the family. The next day was 
Sunday, and he retired to rest, longing to see the truth 
planted in that place. That night he dreamed that he 
was invited to preach ; and, before the sun arose, his 
dream was realized. His host and hostess invited him to 
preach in their house ; and the appointment was speedily 
circulated. At the appointed hour the house was crowded ; 
and, to his great surprise, the auditors were respectful 
and attentive. At the close of the discourse, he said he 
would visit them again if they would signify their consent 
by rising ; whereupon every person in the house rose up. 
Accordingly he preached for them occasionally for about 
a year, but with few indications of reform. 

The next winter, aided by Elder Jesse Mavity, he held 
a protracted meeting at that place, which resulted in a 
great many additions ; among whom were several — per- 
haps all — of the Seceder's children. These were all im- 
mersed without their father's consent, as they had been 
sprinkled in infancy ; except two, who had never been 
thus christened. The father himself led them down to 
the water, while the big tears rolled copiously down his 



BEVERLY VAWTER. Ill 

cheeks. Such was the fruit gathered, by prudent manage- 
ment, where violence was expected. 

In August, 1822, he held a protracted meeting at the 
mouth of Turkey Run, on Laughery creek, in a house 
built for his use, mainly by citizens who had not yet 
obeyed the gospel. His first discourse, on Church Gov- 
ernment, he closed with an invitation to all who were 
disposed to place themselves under the government of the 
Lord. Several persons presented themselves, among 
whom were two Baptists. Many others were added 
during the progress of the meeting, which gave a great 
impetus to the Bible cause in that region. There he 
organized a church, which he visited for several years 
with gratifying results. 

Sometime in the year 1823 he was invited to preach to 
a Baptist congregation on Hogan Creek. He went ; and 
by sound and discreet teaching turned them all over to 
the divine creed and Christian name ; for be it remem- 
bered that they called themselves Christians, and were 
called Newlights only to distinguish them from others 
who claimed to be *' Christians" also, but would not call 
themselves by that name. In addition to this flock and 
their pastor, Joseph Shannon, there were among the con- 
verted a Methodist class and their leader, together with 
many from the world. These were all united on the one 
foundation. 

In the year 1824 he organized another church on Otter 
creek, in which stream he immersed a great many. At 
that place there came to him a woman, saying that she 
had long been seeking religion, but could not obtain it ; 
and that she greatly desired to be immersed because the 
Lord had commanded it. He asked her if she believed 
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. When she had re- 
plied firmly in the affirmative, he said, '' On this profes- 
sion I will immerse you. ' If thou believest with. all thy 



112 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

heart, thou mayst/ is the language of the Book.'' " But," 
said she, " my husband has declared that he will whip any 
man who attempts to baptize me. Must I obey him or 
my Saviour ?" He replied, " It is better to obey God 
than man ; come to-morrow to the baptizing, and we shall 
see." She came, and while he was immersing others she 
was prepared by the sisters, and conducted down to the 
water. Casting his eye up on the bank, he saw her hus- 
band, looking calm and composed ; but, having resolved 
to immerse her at all hazards, he proceeded at once to 
the performance of the dangerous task. When she came 
out of the water praising God, the husband walked down 
to the edge of the stream ; took the preacher by the hand ; 
and invited him to his house for dinner ! He observed 
to others that the work had been so nicely done that he 
could say nothing against it ; but there was, no doubt, a 
more serious reason. 

On another occasion, he immersed a woman, and thereby 
so enraged her husband that, at his next appointment, he 
was barely saved, by a civil officer, from violence at the 
hands of a mob. At the next meeting, also, the offended 
man called him out, saying that he wished to speak to 
him, and that he would not, at that time, injure him. 
Though opposed by the brethren, he went out ; and was 
addressed by the man as follows : '' Did you know, sir, 
when you baptized my wife, that it was being done con- 
trary to my will ?" '' I did," replied the preacher. 
'' Then," said he, '' if ever you pass through my farm, I 
will whip you ; I am able to do it, and I have a bundle 
of switches and a pile of stones prepared for you." For 
several years he submitted to the inconvenience of avoid- 
ing the belligerent soil. But thinking the matter was all 
forgotten, he one day attempted to pass through the pre- 
mises in company with two other brethren. As they 
neared the house, the proprietor leaped over the fence, 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 113 

and gathered up a handful of stones, saying, '' Back out, 
sir, back out. You remember what I told you." Had 
he attempted to advance instead of making good his re- 
treat, he would doubtless have shared the fate of Stephen ! 

Soon after the meeting at Otter creek, he organized a 
church at Yernon, Jennings county, and subsequently 
preached extensively in Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, De- 
catur, Scott, Clarke, and some other counties. 

Up to this time, it must be borne in mind, he had not 
entered fully into the Reformation. He was with it on 
the one platform, and on the action of baptism. Theo- 
retically he was with it on the design of baptism, and 
sometimes practically ; but in the main he yielded to the 
views of his fellow-preachers who clung to the old system 
with its mourner^s bench. 

At a protracted meeting held in 1826, he conversed 
with a brother Daniel Roberts with regard to baptizing 
believing penitents, or ^^ mourners." He related the 
several cases that had occurred in his abnormal ministry, 
and expressed his belief that such persons were proper 
subjects for baptism. ''Brother Yawter," said he, ''give 
me your hand on that : I will preach it if I have to be 
sawn asunder for it. " 

Two years after that, at a protracted meeting held at 
Pleasant meeting house, in Jefferson county, this same 
Daniel Roberts came to him, took him aside, and thus 
addressed him : " Brother Yawter, the brethren have 
solicited me to inform you that you must desist from 
preaching baptism for the remission of sins. They say 
you will ruin your popularity by this procedure." "Is 
the doctrine true ?" inquired Elder Yawter. " Yes ; we 
must confess that it is found in the Bible," was the reply. 
"Be assured, then," replied the faithful minister, "that I 
shall continue to preach it, whatever may become of my 



114 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

popularity." *' Then," said the would-be martyr, ^^ I give 
you up for lost ; and will so report you to the church." 

In a short time he held a meeting near Greensburg, 
Decatur county, assisted by his true yoke-fellow Joseph 
Shannon, and a Baptist preacher named Daniel Douglas. 
On Lord's day his subject was the Kingdom of Heaven ; 
and in the course of his remarks he, for the first time, 
boldly and publicly taught the ''strangers and foreigners" 
how they might obtain citizenship in that Kingdom. 
Among his quotations was Acts ii. 38. By repeating this 
text he greatly offended his good brother, Douglas, who 
met him at the foot of the stand with the observation : 
*' You preached rotten doctrine, to-day." 

Vawter. — What did I teach that is wrong ? 

Douglas. — It is not ''wrong ;" it is rotten — rotten as a 
pumpkin, sir. You preached baptism for the remission 
of sins. 

Vawter. — Did not Peter preach the same ? 

Douglas. — Yes, but he did not mean it. He meant 
"because of 

Vawter. — How do you know that ? His words do not 
convey that idea, and if he meant "because of" why did 
he not say so ? In the conversation that followed, the 
Baptist preacher stated that a man had recently passed 
through Kentucky, preaching that doctrine and thereby 
doing great mischief in the Baptist churches. That " man" 
was Alexander Campbell, never before heard of by Elder 
Yawter. He is not, therefore, a "Campbellite :" he ob- 
tained his views from Peter, and must at least be ac- 
knowledged as a Peterite. 

Mortified by the difference of opinion between him and 
his senior co-laborer, he took his Bible ; stole away into 
the forest ; prayed God to guide him in the way of truth ; 
and then read again and again the offensive passage : but 
he could not ascertain why Peter did not say what he 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 115 

meant, or why he should not be understood to mean what 
he said. 

The next morning they met at the water. His friend 
Douglas preached on the all-engrossing theme, Baptism, 
and gave a synopsis of CampbelPs views. Unlike many 
of his successors, he did it fairly ; for he had sufficient 
sense to understand an argument when clearly stated ; 
and such were his powers of memory that he could re- 
peat almost verbatim any discourse he had ever heard. 
He then labored long to refute the doctrine stated ; but 
when he descended from the pulpit, Elder Yawter said to 
him : — '' Brother Douglas you did not refute it. You 
have been of great service to me to-day in telling how 
Campbell presents that subject." This discourse dispelled 
from his mind every lingering doubt on this important 
subject ; and from that day he began to proclaim, with all 
boldness, the gospel as it was declared by the inspired 
apostles. Here the glorious light of the Reformation 
beamed directly upon him ; he saw clearly the great 
first principles of Christianity ; and all the mist and fog 
engendered by tradition and philosophy vanished away 
forever. 

Returning home from Greensburg, he held a meeting 
near Thomas Jameson's, on Indian Kentucky. On Lord's 
day an orthodox preacher occupied the pulpit, and two 
persons ''got religion'' at the mourner's bench. On Mon- 
day Elder Yawter preached the more excellent way, from 
Peter's second discourse ; Acts iii. 19. At the close of 
the sermon two persons professed their faith in Jesus ; 
and were straightway immersed. As he went to the 
water he heard much complaint as to his novel procedure, 
A colored preacher, named Aaron Wallace, observed in 
the crowd, that brother Yawter ''had cut a new road to 
Heaven,''^ 

Returning to the house, he was rejoiced to find that 



116 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

brother Jameson and his wife agreed with him upon the 
new doctrine ; and a brother Samuel Humphreys also, met 
him in the yard, and handed him three dollars, saying, 
*' That's the doctrine, brother Yawter. You will meet 
with opposition, but it will give way before the truth." 
This was the first money he ever received for preaching ; 
and about the first encouragement to preach the plain 
word of God. The opposition did give way so rapidly 
that in a short time the majority were on the side of 
reform. Elder Yawter, being absent much of his time, 
advised the church to select three elders to preside over 
the congregation and administer the Lord's supper on 
every first day of the week. This proposition was agreed 
to, and John Eccles, William Guthrie, and Thomas Jame- 
son were appointed elders. After this they, in all things, 
imitated the order of the churches in apostolic times. 

In July, 1828, a conference was held near Edinburg, in 
Bartholomew county, for the purpose of effecting a union 
between the Newlights and the Dependent Baptists, who 
were represented on that occasion by that able and earnest 
union advocate, John Wright, sen., and other prominent 
preachers. Sectarianism had done its work so well in 
that community that, out of fifteen preachers present, 
Elder Yawter was the only one whose preaching would 
probably be acceptable to all parties. Being therefore 
pressed into the service, he discoursed to them on the 
government and unity of the primitive church, and with 
such effect that the contemplated union was speedily 
formed on the Bible creed and Christian name. 

During the remainder of this year and the next, he was 
engaged in many remarkable meetings. Sometimes the 
tide of controversy would rise high ; for the opposing 
currents of truth and error would meet in the same house. 
The Baptist and Newlight preachers would bring the 
people to the anxious seat to plead for pardon; and Elder 



BEVERLY VAWTER. IIT 

Vawter would approach them like Ananias, saying, ''Why 
tarriest thou ? arise and be baptized and wash away thy 
sins calling on the name of the Lord." With many other 
words would '' he testify and exhort them, saying, Save 
yourselves from this untoward generation." Many of 
them would gladly receive the word ; and the same hour 
of the day or night, would obey from the heart the form 
of doctrine delivered unto them, with an intelligent un- 
derstanding that they were then to be made free from sin 
and become the servants of righteousness. 

In the Spring of 1830 he was invited to Kent — then 
called White River — to preach at the funeral of a brother 
Ramsay. At the close of the services he was requested 
by Samuel Maxwell to deliver, immediately, a sermon on 
Primitive Church Government ; and make an effort to 
organize a church. He complied with the request with- 
out leaving the house ; and warmly exhorted the people 
to unite on the God-given foundation. Mne persons 
presented themselves, and the Church of Christ at Kent 
was then organized. With the exception of one serious 
and shameful disturbance it has enjoyed a peaceful and 
prosperous career, and is now one of the principal churches 
of south-eastern Indiana. 

In the Summer of this same year, he was invited to 
attend the monthly meeting of a Separate Baptist church 
near the forks of Indian Kentucky. Their preacher and 
elder was a man by the name of Levitt, who was bitterly 
opposed to what he was pleased to denominate Campbell- 
ism. At the meeting on Sunday Elder Yawter preached, 
and four persons made the confession. The Baptist 
elder, being requested to attend to their immersion, re- 
plied indignantly, " No, sir, they are your converts — I 
will have nothing to do with them." The next day the 
elder came to meeting with Walker's Dictionary, which 
he thrust into the face of Elder Yawter, exclaiming, with 



118 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

an air of triumph, '' There's what will refute your doc- 
trine. '^ But the Bible withstood even Walker's Diction- 
ary, which gives '^because of" as the only definition of 
''' for." The meeting closed with good results; and Elder 
Vawter was invited to be with them at their next monthly 
meeting, at which time they proposed to examine their 
creed in the light of divine revelation. The meeting came 
on ; the invited preacher was present ; the creed was 
weighed in the balance and found wanting ; and the 
Bible was accepted as their only rule of faith and prac- 
tice. This was the origin of the Church of Christ, now 
known as Milton Church, which still yields the peaceable 
fruits of righteousness under the pastoral care of Charles 
Lanham. 

In 1831 he visited Barton W. Stone at his residence 
near Georgetown, Kentucky. He arrived on Saturday 
evening, too late to attend a meeting then in progress. 
The next morning Elder Stone admonished him to pre- 
pare to preach that forenoon. At this juncture his sub- 
dued timidity revived again and plead for him many 
excuses, which were all unavailing. Just as he had con- 
sented to preach, a fine looking young man was ushered 
in, whom Elder Stone introduced as Elder John A. Grano. 
The presence of this strange and apparently polished 
preacher, greatly increased the weight of the cross that 
had been laid upon the brother from Indiana. On arriving 
at the place of worship he met Elder Frank Palmer, to 
whom also he was introduced as the preacher of the day. 
Despairing of being able to proclaim the gospel in the 
presence of so many superior workmen, he renewed his 
request to be excused. This being kindly denied, he as- 
cended into the pulpit with a feeling of fear and trembling 
akin to that of Moses on the Holy Mount. He preached 
as best he could under the circumstances ; the other two 
preachers made some remarks also ; and Elder Stone 



BEVERLY YAWTER. 119 

closed the meeting with a most beautiful and touching; 
exhortation. JSTor was it a fruitless meeting ; on the 
contrary some six or eight were added to the saved. He 
remained several days with brother Stone, whom he re- 
presents as so meek and affable that his presence was to 
the stranger as the society of old friends. 

He returned home by way of Lexington, where he made 
the acquaintance of Dr. Fishback. On the way home he 
also met, for the first time. Elders Marshall and Paterson, 
with whom he made arrangements for holding a series of 
meetings, the next year, on both sides of the Ohio river, 
above Madison. These meetings were held ; were largely 
attended ; and resulted in great good. 

Prior to the meetings above mentioned he made a tour 
through Switzerland county, where the light of the Re- 
formation was just beginning to dawn. On one occa- 
sion, having preached to a large audience in which were 
many Methodists and Baptists — the dominant sects at that 
time — an aged Methodist minister arose in defense of the 
doctrines contained in the creeds This led to a sharp dis- 
cussion, from which the Methodist soon withdrew in high 
dudgeon declaring that he would never again listen to such 
a preacher, and hoping that his brethren would close their 
ears and their house against him. Whereupon a Baptist 
by the name of John Buchanan invited Elder Yawter to 
leave another appointment, promising that he would pro- 
cure for him the Baptist church. The appointment was 
left ; but when he came to fill it, he found the door firmly 
secured by chain and padlock ! He was therefore com- 
pelled to retire to an humble school-house ; the only place, 
save the open air, in which even certain quotations from 
Holy Writ could find expression. But, although the rude 
4oors of the orthodox churches could shut out the preacher, 
they could not exclude all the light. A sufficiency of 
rays gained admission to enable all who would see to dis- 



120 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

cover their errors. Such as these gladly received the 
word, together with many who were wedded to no creed; 
and, even in the midst of such united opposition, a church 
was established on the foundation laid by the ^' wise mas- 
ter-builder." This result was effected, not by any extra- 
ordinary excitement, but by a plain, earnest declaration 
of the whole counsel of God. The '' incorruptible seed" 
was sown indiscriminately, with a liberal hand, and, when- 
ever it chanced to fall upon ''good ground," it germinated 
and yielded its fruit as quietly as do the seeds deposited 
in the earth. The following incident will illustrate the 
influence of the simple truth in that community : 

Once while Elder Yawter was waiting, at the house of 
a brother, for the return of night, at which time he was to 
preach, the wife of a Mr. Harvey entered the room where 
he was sitting, and, after the usual salutations, informed 
him that she wished to obey the gospel. Agreeably to 
the precedent established by the ancient evangelist, he 
replied, ''If thou belie vest, thou mayst." She assured 
him of her faith in Jesus, the Son of God ; was immersed 
the same afternoon ; and to this day is a burning and 
shining light in the Church of Christ at that place. He 
had preached to her the word, on some previous visit ; 
during his absence it had germinated ; on his return it 
brought forth fruit. 

In the year 1832, he travelled and preached, in company 
with Love H. Jameson, through the counties bordering 
on the Ohio, above the city of Madison. At Yevay they 
preached in the school-house ; and from them the people 
of that village heard, perhaps for the first time, the re- 
pentance and remission of sins which began at Jerusalem. 
As they went from the place of worship to the spot where 
they had hitched their horses, they reflected on the un- 
pleasant fact that they were in a strange land without a 
cent of money with which to procure food for themselves 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 121 

and their horses. While indulging these reflections their 
old friend Buchanan, the Baptist previously referred to, 
took them them to an inn, where both horses and riders 
were duly cared for. After dinner they again set out, 
neither knowing nor caring whither they went ; for they 
sought only the lost sheep to bring them back to the 
Shepherd's fold. Wherever a door of utterance was opened 
there they set forth Christ crucified ; and exhorted the 
people to receive and obey the truth. Upon this journey 
they were not reapers gathering into the Master's barn 
what was already ripe for the harvest, but sowers rather, 
removing the obstructions of sectarianism, and depositing, 
in the simple and candid hearts of those times, the incor- 
ruptible seed, which, through the labors of other men, 
brought forth abundant fruit to the glory of God and the 
advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom. 

Soon after his return from this tour he so far lost his 
health that for several years he was unable to enter into 
the sanctuary of God. On his recovery he found the home 
church on Indian Kentucky in a bad condition, through 
indiscreet management and lack of regular preaching. 
His first effort after his recovery, was to deliver this flock 
from spiritual famine. In this he was entirely successful. 
Under his teaching and the wise rule of Elders Jackson and 
Halcomb, the church soon revived, and became stronger 
than at any past period in its history. 

About the year 1850, the subject of Co-operation be- 
gan to be agitated in southeastern Indiana ; but it was a 
great while before there was much action in that direc- 
tion. In the meantime Elder Yawter kept the field as in 
former years, making numerous proselytes ; organizing 
here and there a church ; warning the people against the 
delusion of Millerism ; and endeavoring to turn them 
from all other isms to the faith of the gospel. 

In the year 1853, a mass-meeting was held ?,t IN'orth 
11 



122 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Madison to devise a system of co-operation for the coun- 
ties of Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, Kipley, Jennings, 
and Bartholomew. Of said meeting W. C. Bramwell 
was chairman, and Elijah Goodwin secretary. After due 
deliberation they appointed Beverly Yawter as an agent 
to raise funds, at a salary of $0.00 per annum; and his* 
son Philemon Vawter as an evangelist, at a salary of six 
hundred dollars per annum. He accepted this agency, 
and was far more successful in raising money for others 
than he had ever been in his own behalf. In the course 
of fifteen months he payed into the treasury over one 
thousand dollars ; and obtained pledges for as much 
more. He also made some fifty proselytes ; and re-united 
a scattered flock at New Marion, Ripley county. His 
success so encouraged the Board that they voted him a 
compensation of two hundred dollars. At the expiration 
of the fifteenth month, his resignation, which had been 
several times tendered, was accepted by the Board ; and, 
as the public predicted, the system of co-operation soon 
failed through lack of means. 

After his resignation of the agency, he in a measure 
retired from the field, until some two years ago, when he 
preached a good deal while paying perhaps his last visit 
to his friends, relatives, and brethren in various portions 
of the country. 

He is now in his seventy-third year ; and what he may 
yet accomplish will not materially change the sum of his 
life-work. We may therefore present a brief summary 
of his labors in the Lord's vineyard. 

He has organized thirteen churches on the apostolic 
basis ; and immersed more than twelve hundred disciples, 
very many of whom are scattered throughout half the 
States of the Union, dispensing, wherever they go, the 
principles of the Reformation. He has also been instru- 
mental in sending into the field several other preachers, 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 123 

whose labors have added many a liviDg stone to God's 
building. Prominent among those whom he has set on 
Zion's walls is Love H. Jameson, his son in the gospel. He 
has faithfully preached during forty-two years, for which 
service he thinks he has received from the churches only 
eighty-seven dollars, plus a few presents, amounting in 
all to about one hundred dollars, or less than two dollars 
and fifty cents per annum. The church at Liberty, where 
he began to preach, and where he still officiates occasion- 
ally, is said to have paid him, for the services of nearly 
half a century, the sum of twenty-five dollars, or a little 
more than fifty cents a year. He could truthfully say to 
his brethren, in the words of the self-sacrificing Paul, *' I 
have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, 
ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto 
my necessities and to them that were with me." 

But his hands are now growing tremulous and feeble ; 
and it is to be hoped that the brethren, among whom he 
has gone preaching the kingdom of God, will soon learn 
— nay, have already learned — '' that so laboring they ought 
to support the weak;^^ and to remember the words of the 
Lord Jesus, how he said, "It is more blessed to give than 
to receive.^^ 

Physically considered. Elder Vawter is of medium size. 
His frame is well proportioned, and it moves about with 
the easy, graceful, and dignified air of an old Kentucky 
gentleman. Stoutly compacted by nature, and carefully 
preserved by life-long habits of temperance, it seems to 
bear along easily the weight of three score years and ten. 
His sallow face is but slightly furrowed ; his keen black 
eye gleams almost as of old ; and the light of the other 
world, fast dawning upon him, has not yet chased all the 
dark shadows from his hair. 

In mind, as in body, he is not a giant ; but a man of 



124 PIONEER PR K A C HE R S. 

moderate ability, possessing a sound judgment, a clear 
perception, and an excellent memory. His head is best 
developed in the moral department ; but his reasoning 
powers were worthy of a better cultivation than it was 
possible for them to receive. 

He is a man of great firmness ; of strong determina- 
tion ; and is at times, perhaps, a little self-willed — as are 
most men who accomplish any good in the world. There 
is not a little combativeness in his mental organism ; and 
therefore he has never refused to take up the gauntlet 
when thrown down to him — never hesitated to assail 
whatever stood opposed to the glory of God, or the 
spiritual interests of man. 

In the pulpit he is the impersonation of candor and of 
love to God and man. His plain address and the earnest 
expression of his honest face impress the hearer no less 
than what he says. He argues with considerable force, 
and speaks with tolerable fluency ; but he is not an orator 
either born or made. He is a documeMary man, always 
giving chapter and verse ; and succeeding more by engag- 
ing the intellect than by storming the citadel of the heart. 

In the church he is faithful, peaceable, liberal ; having 
given far more for the support of the gospel than he has 
ever received for preaching it. So much of his means 
has been invested in heaven that he has but little treasure 
laid up on earth ; yet he is rich in good works, ready to 
distribute, willing to communicate. 

In society he is universally regarded as a man fearing 
God and following after righteousness. Though some 
may find fault with him as a preacher, all esteem him 
highly as a neighbor Midi friend. Much of his usefulness 
is owing to the fact that in every place he has possessed 
"a good name,'^ which, by the evangelist especially, is 
rather to be chosen than great riches, or great learning, 
or great eloquence. 



BEVERLY VAWTER. 125 

His value to the church of Christ and to the com- 
munity in which he hVes, will scarcely be realized until 
after his departure. This event cannot be far distant — 
his course must be almost finished. Like Bunyan's Pil- 
grim, he has passed, after a long and severe struggle, 
through the strait gate ; traversed the Slough of Despond 
peculiar to the gospels which are of men ; surmounted 
many Hills of Difficulty ; and encountered lions in the 
persons of violent opposers of the truth. Soon will he 
(press the river of death ; and press with his weary feet 
the golden pavements of the celestial city. 



JOHN P. THOMPSON 



Elder John Philips Thompson was born in tlie city of 
Washington, D. C, March 6th, 1195. His grandfather 
on his father^s side was a native of Scotland, born in 
Edinburg, in 1149. About the year 1110 he came to 
America, suffering himself to be sold for a season to pay 
the cost of his transportation. He subsequently married 
Nancy Perry, who is said to have been a distant relative 
of the hero of Lake Erie. They were blessed with six 
children, James, the father of John P., being the eldest 
of their four sons. 

Elder Thompson's grandfather served in the Revolution ; 
and an uncle on his mother's side lost his life in the strug- 
gle for independence. His father also served eighteen 
months in the war of 1812, and participated in the bloody 
and disastrous engagement at the river Raisin. Having 
survived the awful slaughter of that day, he afterwards 
joined an artillery company, and applied the match to the 
guns at the defence of Fort Meigs. He died in peace 
when almost eighty years of age. 

Jonathan Philips, the grandfather of Elder Thompson, 
(on his mother's side,) was of English descent, and a 
member of the Church of England. He lived on the 
eastern shore of Maryland, where his daughter Mary, the 
mother of Elder Thompson, was born, bred, and married. 
She was of age at the time of the Revolution ; and saw 
the French army on its march to Yorktown to assist in 
capturing the forces under Lord Cornwallis. In after 
years she often described to her children the stirring 
126 



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JOHN P. THOMPSON. 121 

evenls, and sang to them the patriotic songs of that era 
of heroism. By such means she inspired them with the 
love of liberty, and with an undying devotion to the flag 
of their country. She attained to the remarkable age of 
ninety-five years. 

In the year 1800 James Thompson removed with his 
family to Kentucky, and settled near Germantown in 
Bracken county ; whither his father had previously emi- 
grated. The Thompsons were a religious people ; and 
the most of them were members of the Baptist church. 
The grandfather of John P. was a preacher of that order, 
noted for the facility with which he could quote Scripture. 

As Elder Thompson was only five years old when he 
came to the West, he claims to be a Kentuckian. His 
habits, as well as many of his political and religious 
opinions, were formed and confirmed in that renowned 
State which contains the graves of his ancestors. There 
too, he acquired his education, which was not better than 
that ordinarily received by the children of the West in 
that day. 

Yice, especially in the forms of drunkenness, gambling, 
and profanity, prevailed all around him ; yet through the 
influence of his pious parents, and in that quiet Baptist 
retreat, he formed habits of temperance, honesty, and 
piety, which have successfully resisted all the temptations 
incident to his long life. He naturally inclined to virtue's 
side ; and he had also a laudable pride which would not 
permit him to do any thing that would have sullied the 
good name of his family. 

It is perhaps natural, rather than remarkable, that in 
the midst of scenes of oppression he learned to sympa- 
thize with those in bonds ; and became a firm believer in 
the doctrine that *' all men are created equal; and are 
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights ; 



128 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi- 
ness.^' 

About the year 1805, a divi-sion on the subject of slavery 
took place in the Licking Locust church, which was a 
member of the Bracken Association. The said Associ- 
ation, in attempting to suppress the anti-slavery element, 
inflamed the other churches within its confines, and simi- 
lar divisions occurred in the congregations at Ohio Locust, 
Lawrence creek, Mayslick, Mt. Sterling, New Hope, Gil- 
gal, and several other points. 

This new sect called themselves Friends of Humanity. 
They differed from their late Baptist brethren only on the 
slavery question ; and proposed to return to their spirit- 
ual allegiance provided the Baptists would join them in a 
petition to the Legislature, praying for the gradual eman- 
cipation of the slaves. This proviso not being acceptable 
to the pro-slavery party, the Friends of Humanity formed 
an independent Association ; and were subsequently 
among the first to embrace the current Reformation. 

Mr. Thompson, though a small boy, imbibed the eman- 
cipation views of those people ; which views he has held 
fast to the present day. 

It was in the year 1812, and under the ministry of Jere- 
miah Yardemon, that he was first led to reflect upon his 
spiritual condition and his obligations to God, 

Then came the usual long period of seeking and sup- 
plicating ; of hoping for the mercy of God, and fearing 
that he was one of the non-elect. 

At last, by a certain train of reflection — not by the 
knowledge that he had complied with the terms of par- 
don — he was brought to feel that his burden of sins had 
been removed. Soon afterwards (being then in his seven- 
teenth year) he united with the Baptist Church, and was 
immersed by his grandfather. 

When in his nineteenth year he was employed as a 



JOHN P. THOMPSON. 129 

country school-teacher ; and so acceptable were his ser- 
vices in that profession that he was retained in the same 
neighborhood for a period of six years. While thus em- 
ployed he acquired, by diligent self-instruction, the most 
of his own education. 

When in his twenty -third year, he was married to Miss 
Priscilla Gregg ; all of whose ancestors, as far back as 
known, were staunch members of the Society of Friends. 
At the time of their marriage both parties were very poor, 
their united fortune consisting of only a horse, a cow, and 
the essential articles of log-cabin furniture. But " better 
is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure 
and trouble therewith." 

In August, 1819 — forty-three years ago — he began to 
preach the gospel in the community in which he lived. 
He would have commenced preaching at even an earlier 
period, but for the fact that he waited a long while for a 
special call from heaven. 

The commencement of his public ministry was attended 
by a considerable revival of religion ; and he at once be- 
came a preacher of some prominence. He preached regu- 
larly, once a month, for the home church, (Ohio Locust,) 
and also for the congregation at Lawrence creek. In a 
short time he began to travel abroad, visiting the churches 
in Mason, Nicholas, and Montgomery counties. 

In the fall of 1819, while on his way to the Baptist 
Association, held that year in Butler county, Ohio, he 
stood for the first time upon the soil of Indiana. The 
following fall he again came to this State on a visit to 
some of his relatives, who urged him to settle near them. 
Accordingly he borrowed money, entered eighty acres of 
land in Rush county, and removed to it on the 22d of 
March, 1821. 

Here he lived for several years in a log-cabin, working 
hard at the carpenter's bench and in the forest with hand- 



130 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

spike and axe. At log-rollings, clearings, house-raisings, 
etc., he was always on hand ; and through his influence 
mainly a rule was established in the neighborhood, pro- 
hibiting the use of intoxicating liquors, on all such oc- 
casions. He has always been a zealous advocate of the 
temperance cause. 

Yery soon after his removal to Indiana he united with 
the Flat Rock (Baptist) church and began to preach for 
the same once a month. He also preached monthly at 
Franklin, near Connersville ; and occasionally at Ben Davis 
Creek, Pleasant Run, Blue River, and Antioch. 

In 1822 he organized a church in Rushville, and had 
the pastoral care of it during his connection with the 
Regular Baptists. 

In those days he travelled altogether on horseback or 
on foot, and received but little pay for his services. Ten 
dollars would perhaps cover all his cash receipts during 
his stay with the Baptists. Yet he does not complain of 
their treatment. They too were very poor — so poor that 
each could almost say with Peter, '^ Silver and gold have 
I none. " They esteemed him very highly for his work's 
sake. The busy-fingered sisters occasionally presented 
him a homespun coat or vest ; and the strong-armed 
brethren met together, prepared his firewood, split his 
rails, and made his fences. 

In the Fall of 1821 he went as a delegate from the Flat 
Rock church to the White River Association which met 
that year at Franklin. Finding that body divided into 
two parties — some being ultra Calvinists who called the 
others Arminians — he sided with the latter ; took an active 
part in the discussions, and at once became a leading 
spirit in the assembly. He was subsequently elected 
clerk of that body, and more than once had the honor of 
writing what was called the "circular letter." 

One of his letters on the subject of Predestination was 



JOHN P. THOMPSON. 131 

printed by the Association ; and it did mucli to modify 
the views of his ultra Calvinistic brethren. He was at 
this time very popular as well as influential >among the 
Baptists, to many of whom he, in turn, was ardently at- 
tached. But the period of their separation was drawing 
nigh. 

In June, 1826, he became a subscriber for the Christian 
Baptist. In that he read accounts of remarkable meetings 
held in various parts of Kentucky by Elders Walter Scott, 
John Smith, and other pioneer Reformers. Ere long he 
learned that the tide of reformation had reached his old 
home in Kentucky : and that many of his friends and re- 
latives were worshipping God in the way which was 
generally called heresy. Anxious to discover the means 
which seemed so effectual in turning people from the old 
paths, he resolved to revisit the scenes of his childhood, 
and listen to the teachers of the strange, subversive doc- 
trine. 

Arriving upon the spot he found the reports true — that 
those who were turning the world upside down had in- 
deed come thither also. He listened to the views of his 
friends without losing much of his former faith. He went 
to hear Elder Abernathy, the chief Reformer in that lo- 
cality : but even he did not convince him of any superior 
excellence in what he regarded as the new way. 

At the close of his sermon the speaker gave notice that 
John Smith would preach at that place on the next day. 
Though Elder Thompson was on the eve of returning 
home as he had come, he resolved to remain one day 
longer in order to hear the discourse of one as renowned 
for his acumen as for his eccentricity. Elder Smith was 
accompanied by a young brother Payne, who spoke first, 
presenting the facts and conditions of the gospel with 
great force and clearness. When he concluded Elder 
Smith arose; and in his peculiar manner said, 'M have no 



132 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

doubt that while my brother was speaking you were 
thinking as I was, of that passage of Scripture which 
saith/' The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto him ; neither 
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. " 
This very passage had been in the mind of Elder Thomp- 
son ; and he had employed it to rebut many of the texts 
introduced by the first speaker. It was, indeed, the key- 
stone of his whole theological system. After listening 
to the profound exposition of the passage, he seriously 
doubted the correctness of his former teachings ; and 
without revealing his thoughts to any one he resolved to 
examine carefully the whole ground. 

He entered upon this investigation with fear and trem- 
bling ; for he had a presentiment that he would find him- 
self in error ; and he foresaw the estrangement, the strife, 
the schism that would result from any attempt to change 
his position. He spoke of all this to his wife ; and with 
her full consent, he resolved to open his understanding to 
every ray of light and to follow the truth of God at what- 
ever sacrifice of property, friends, or reputation. 

The next time he met with the congregation at Flat 
Rock, he felt but little inclination to preach ; for the old 
landmarks had been removed, while others had not been 
firmly established in their stead. However, he took for 
his text John v. 1, because he could discourse upon that 
without revealing his new views or his doubts relative to 
his old ones ; and the brethren were well pleased as usual 
with his teaching. 

The next meeting was at a brother Elias Stone's house, 
an humble cabin with a puncheon floor and a rude porch on 
one side. A large congregation for that day were seated 
in the house and on the porch ; while Elder Thompson, 
who by this time had a tolerable knowledge of the Chris- 
tian system, took his position in the door to declare once 



JOHN P. THOMPSON. 133 

more to his humble neighbors *^ the unsearchable riches 
of Christ.'' He did not intend at that time to bring any 
^' strange things" to the ears of his brethren ; but his mind 
was full of great ideas recently acquired, and his heart 
was swelling with unfeigned devotion to God and sincere 
desires for the welfare of his fellow men. When, there- 
fore, he was about half through his* sermon, his spirit over- 
leaped all barriers that creeds and traditions had thrown 
around it ; and, as if suddenly inspired, he proclaimed to 
his astonished hearers the fullness, the freeness, the sim- 
plicity of the gospel of Christ. 

That morning's service was the beginning of a great 
reformation in eastern Indiana. Hitherto the people had 
taken but little interest in the study of the Bible, having 
been taught that it was designedly incomprehensible to 
the unregenerate mind. But now all was excitement, 
searching the Scriptures, animated private discussions, 
and flocking to the house of worship to hear the public 
teachers and compare their views with the word of God. 
The preacher's dixit was no longer profitable for doctrine, 
nor was the Confession of Faith an end of all controversy. 
The people were beginning to demand for every tenet a 
*' thus saith the Lord." 

There were at that time but three houses of worship in 
Rush county ; and these were merely closed in — not 
finished. The uncovered sleepers served for pews ; a 
rude box, filled with clay, on which glowed a heap of 
charcoal, constituted the warming apparatus; and a clap- 
board, nailed to the top of a couple of great pins or posts 
inserted in the sleepers completed the substitute for a 
pulpit. To these houses, when the private cabins would 
no longer hold the increasing audiences, the worshippers 
resorted ; and they were frequently filled with anxious in- 
quirers after truth, many of whom came a distance of ten 
or twelve miles, and returned home the same day or night. 
12 



134 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Elder Thompson was, of course, the chief speaker. He 
travelled over the whole county, inculcating the doctrine 
of the apostles so far as he had learned it. The most of 
the converts of that day have remained steadfast ; and 
the church called Boundary Line, in Wabash county, has 
now within its pale many of the fruits of the early 
reformation. 

Elder Thompson was still a nominal Baptist. The 
more orthodox of his brethren had perceived with regret 
the change that had taken place in his preaching; but 
they esteemed him very highly as a brother, and on that 
account were disposed to say to one another, *' Let brother 
Thompson alone : it is owing to the excitement that he 
fails to inculcate the received doctrines ; and when the 
revival is over he will teach the converts " experience and 
doctrine" — a phrase which simply meant that he would 
return to the traditions of the fathers. 

Thus matters went on until about sixty members — all 
Reformers — withdrew from the Flat Rock church with 
its consent ; and, at a more convenient point in Fayette 
county, were organized as a separate church on the foun- 
dation of apostles and prophets. 

But he did not long enjoy the blessedness of such tole- 
ration. The leading orthodox preachers having given 
their voices against him, many of his nearest neighbors 
and most intimate friends could no longer listen patiently 
to his teaching. At first they endeavored to dissuade 
him from his course ; but he continued witnessing to both 
small and great, and appealing to the Scriptures as proof 
that he taught none other things than those which he had 
learned and received from the apostles. All other means 
having proved ineffectual, they determined to cast him out 
of the synagogue. They arraigned him before the congre- 
gation, and both prosecution and defense were conducted 
in the presence of a large and intensely excited audience. 



JOHN P. THOMPSON. 135 

It was finallj^ agreed that the church should decide by 
a vote whether or not his teaching was heretical ; and the 
vote being taken it was decided by a majority of seven 
that he taught according to the oracles of God. It being 
a well established law of the church that the majority 
should rule in every case, he immediately turned the 
tables upon his prosecutors; and had he been so disposed, 
he might have excluded every one of them /br heterodoxy ! 
But he was unwilling to attempt, himself, what he had so 
recently condemned in them ; so the proceedings were 
discontinued and the Inquisition adjourned. 

At the next official meeting it was agreed by the two 
parties that they should occupy the house alternately for 
one year. A short time afterward Mr. Thompson and 
those whose views coincided with his own, formed a 
separate organization called the Church of Christ ; and 
gave to one another the hand of Christian fellowship. 

Thus did he enter fully into the Reformation ; and 
thus did he bring with him out of the Flat Rock church, 
the nuclei of what are now two large and flourishing 
churches of the living God. 

On the next Lord's day after their organization, an ec- 
centric Baptist preacher by the name of Thomas (commonly 
called the White Pilgrim, on account of his white raiment) 
was present, and, by request, preached. A great many 
" Newlights," of whom there was a large congregation 
about two miles to the north, were present on that occa- 
sion, and they became greatly offended because not spe- 
cially invited to the Lord's table. Out of this circum- 
stance there arose a great controversy on the subject of 
communion, which warfare was zealously participated in 
by Elders Thompson and John Longley, then a member 
of the Newlight congregation mentioned above. 

At last the difficulty was amicably adjusted. Elder 
Longley with the majority of his brethren soon came over 



136 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

to the Reformation ; and he became also a zealous advo- 
cate of the ancient gospel. 

In the mean time the congregation was greatly strength- 
ened by accessions from the world, and by immigrant 
disciples from Kentucky, among whom was Elder Benja- 
min F. Reeve. He, having already commenced preach- 
ing, was soon associated with Elder Thompson in the 
eldership of the congregation, which they directed and 
edified with the most perfect unanimity for nineteen 
years. 

So great was the prosperity of the new church that 
within one year after its organization a new house of 
worship was erected. None were more liberal or zealous 
than Elder Thompson in the prosecution of this enterprise. 

In the Fall of 1832, John O'Kane first visited Rush 
county, where he was employed to evangelize for one 
year. He and Elder Thompson travelled together over 
the counties of Rush, Fayette, and Decatur, being the 
first at almost every point to publish the doctrine of the 
Reformation. When they arrived at Green sburg, O'Kane 
rang the court-house bell ; a small audience collected ; 
Thompson preached; and one came forward to confess the 
Lord. This was the first evangelical sermon and the first 
disciple at that place, which is now the centre of a power* 
ful influence in favor of primitive Christianity. O'Kane 
followed, and three others made the good confession. 

At night they preached at a point four miles northwest 
of Greensburg ; and two were added to the saved — one of 
them a daughter of a brother North Parker, who is believed 
to have been the first person that embraced the ancient 
gospel in Eastern Indiana. 

From that point they continued their journey, the people 
everywhere gladly receiving the word. Though sectarian 
opposition was very strong ; and though there was much 
ill-feeling toward O'Kane, growing out of his active par- 



JOHN P. THOMPSON. 13T 

ticipation in the Presidential campaign ; still the disciples 
were multiplied, new churches were established, prejudices 
were eradicated, and Bible principles inculcated. 

Thus the work was carried forward for several years, 
Elder Thompson being always in the van. 

But about the year 1836 he was compelled to greatly 
circumscribe the area of his operations. The demands of 
his large and increasing family could no longer be sup- 
plied by however diligent a use of a small portion of his 
time. Therefore he ceased in a great measure to preach 
the gospel in the regions beyond his own county. But 
there, without money and without price, he has continued 
until this day to warn the unruly, comfort the feeble- 
minded, edify the faithful, and point the children and 
grand-childern of his old pioneer friends to "the Lamb of 
God that taketh away the sin of the world." 

In April, 1849, his wife, who had faithfully shared all 
his toils and privations, departed this life. She died in 
faith, leaving with her husband a large family of children. 

In 1851 he was married to Mrs. Mary Allen of Con- 
nersville ; and the year foil-owing he removed to his little 
farm near Fayetteville, in Fayette county, where he ex- 
pects to pass the remainder of his days. Already tremu- 
lous with age ; the work given him by the Master well- 
nigh finished ; a large portion of his family beyond " death's 
cold flood," and all the survivors, save one, heirs of the 
kingdom ; he is only waiting for the welcome moment 
that shall pierce the vail of mortality and reveal to him 
what *' eye hath not seen." 

He has reserved for his burial place a spot in the old 
church-yard at Flat Kock, desiring that his dust may re- 
pose beneath the old vine, which, planted by his own 
hand over thirty years ago, now shoots forth its branches 
over the wall. 



138 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Elder Thompson is a man of medium height, and slender 
frame. He was once remarkably stout and active ; but 
heart and flesh are fast failing. His complexion is light. 
His hair, now white as wool, was once quite dark. His 
eyes are blue — their expression intelligent, cheerful, be- 
nignant. 

He is a man of warm and generous emotions ; ardently 
attached to his friends ; sincere in his supplications for 
the whole human family. 

Though a man of good natural abilities, yet it is for his 
goodness rather than his intellectual power that he is so 
highly esteemed by all who know him. 

He is a good speaker and an excellent exhorter. His 
delivery is fluent and forcible ; his manner, grave, very 
earnest, unostentatious. He pretends to be no more than 
he is — a plain, humble preacher of the olden time. 

Though he has walked for half a century in the midst 
of a very crooked and perverse nation ; yet his Christian 
character is without spot or blemish. 

His whole Christian life has been characterized by 
supreme devotion to the interests of the Redeemer's 
kingdom. 

At one time especially when sorely pressed for the means 
of a comfortable subsistence, his friend. Dr. Jefferson Helm, 
made the most tempting proposals to induce him to ex- 
change the ministerial for the medical profession. But 
he replied, ''J am engaged in a great work, and cannot 
come down.^^ 

Having thus steadfastly suffered affliction with the peo- 
ple of God, well may he look forward to the recompense 
of the reward. Having sown, in tears, the incorruptible 
seed, he is soon to return, with rejoicing, to the Husband- 
man, taking his sheaves with him. 





"^^/y^^-U^:^ 




i^^ 



^^^^ 




' ^ Ci^^^l^ ^ 



MICHAEL COMBS 



-«♦>- 



Prominent among the early Reformers in Indiana was 
Elder Michael Combs. He was born in East Tennessee, 
February ITth, 1800. His father, Job Combs, was of 
Scotch descent, and of the Presbyterian faith. The Combses 
were generally an intelligent, high-toned people, though 
they moved in the humbler walks of life, and were not 
blessed with liberal education. As a general thing their 
predilections were not so much for the ministry as for the 
worldly professions — especially law. 

His mother's maiden name was Abigail Coons. She 
was of German descent. The Coonses were mostly Bap- 
tists, noted for their piety and zeal for God. Among 
them were many preachers, one of whom, John Coons, 
was imprisoned, in the days of the Revolution, by the 
English or Episcopal church. 

The mother of Elder Combs died when he was quite 
young; whereupon he and his brother Job were placed in 
the family of a maternal uncle who was a strict Baptist 
of the Calvinistic dye. By him the orphan boys were 
taken exclusively to the Baptist church, where they re- 
ceived a strong bias in favor of that faith. 

Being brought up under such circumstances their educa- 
tion was, of course, greatly neglected. They were simply 
taught to read and write — no more. In early youth, 
however, they were both very fond of good books ; and 
they read with great avidity every volume upon which 
they could lay hands. Michael especially became much 
interested in the historical portions of the Old Testament ; 

139 



140 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

and the account of the creation, tlie translation of Enoch, 
the destruction of Sodom, and other important events did 
not fail to make a deep impression oc his mind and heart. 
The earnest appeals of the Baptist preacher also affected 
him seriously ; and so did the earthquakes that occurred 
about the year 1811. 

On account of these various causes, his soul was greatly 
cast down and disquieted ; and had the preachers of that 
day spoken according to the oracles of God, he would, no 
doubt, have been a disciple before he reached his four- 
teenth year. As it was, however, his religious impres- 
sions soon wore away ; and he walked in the way of his 
heart and in the sight of his eyes, unmindful of Solomon's 
admonition, that ''for all these things God would bring 
him into judgment.'' Being of a very mirthful and mis- 
chievous disposition, he was easily turned altogether out 
of the way. 

About this time, his father, who had married again, 
determined to remove to Ouio, which was then regarded 
by the East Tennesseeans as a land flowing with more 
than milk and honey. Finding no location to suit him^ 
he proceeded as far west as Wayne county, Indiana, 
where for a short time he pitched his tent. His neigh- 
bors were nearly all Quakers, whose quiet worship and 
solemn demeanor had but few attractions for his two sons, 
who had accompanied him from the land of their birth. 

At length their father settled in Preble county, Ohio, 
near the line separating it from Indiana. Here Michael 
fell among a class of Christians called ISTewlights — a 
people as different from the Quakers as the Quakers were 
from the Baptists. It was commonly reported that they 
denied the divinity of Christ, and the doctrine of the 
atonement ; that they were Arminians ; that they held 
faith to be merely an act of the creature ; that they had 



MICHAEL COMBS. 141 

no creed but the Bible ; and that as to their origin they 
were a people only of yesterday. 

By far the most prominent preacher among them at 
that time and place was David Purviance. One day, 
when he was to preach near by, young Combs felt like 
the Jews of Bome when they said '' we desire to hear of 
thee what thou thinkest ; for as concerning this sect, we 
know that everywhere it is spoken against." Accord- 
ingly he went to the meeting, and was favorably im- 
pressed by the fine personal appearance and the mild, 
affectionate bearing of the speaker. The text was, 
" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden ; 
and I will give you rest.'^ The sermon was the plainest, 
the most consistent, the most affecting he had ever heard 
— altogether different from the discourses of the Calvin- 
istic Baptists to whom he had been wont to listen. With 
them clearness or simplicity was no desideratum. In- 
deed, the more incomprehensible the subject could be 
made to appear to sinners, the more indubitable was the 
evidence that the preacher was ''sent from God:" for 
they reasoned thus : 

1. The natural man (sinner) receiveth not the things 
of the Spirit of God ; they are foolishness to him. 

2. The preaching we hear is all foolishness to us, (sin- 
ners.) 

3. Therefore the preaching we hear is " of the Spirit of 
God." 

After hearing Elder Purviance that day. Elder Combs 
frequently attended the meetings of the Christians. He 
became convinced of the propriety of their plea for a 
union of all the saints ; and was favorably impressed by 
the fact that they themselves loved one another fervently, 
and endeavored to keep the unity of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace. Therefore, though he did not unite with 



142 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

them, he became a zealous defender of their characters, 
if not of all their views. 

On the first of January, 1818, he was married to Mary 
Edwards, who had been brought up among the Quakers 
of North Carolina. She of course inclined to that faith, 
although, to her, it was very far from being "• full of com- 
fort." On the contrary, she was a victim of despondency, 
having been forced to the conclusion that she was one of 
the ''vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." Her hus- 
band, though yet a great sinner, became a preacher of 
righteousness so far as to dispel all her fears of reproba- 
tion, and induce her to attend the meetings of the Chris- 
tians. With them she soon united, being received with- 
out baptism, out of deference to her Quaker views. This 
error also she subsequently corrected ; and although 
forty-two years have since elapsed, she still lives ''in 
hope of the glory of God." 

She is the mother of thirteen children, eleven of whom 
are living ; and all of whom, save one, have become 
obedient to the faith. 

Soon after her conversion, Elder James Hughes, " an 
eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures," but ''know- 
ing only the baptism of John,'^^ came to a camp- meeting 
held in that vicinity. Among his hearers on Monday 
morning was Job Combs, jr., who had, perhaps, spent 
the previous day in the society of his sinful associates ; 
and who had come there " to see thjit Newlight cut up" 
— as he expressed it on leaving home. In a sad, earnest 
tone the speaker announced his text : " Hear, heavens, 
and give ear, earth ; for the Lord hath spoken ; I have 
nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled 
against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his 
master's crib ; but Israel doth not know ; my people doth 
not consider." 

The passage touched the heart of young Combs, to 



MICHAEL COMBS. 143 

whom it was so beautifully applicable ; and for once he 
resolved to listen respectfully to the preaching of the 
word. Of its effect he himself could not better tell than 
in the touching words of the melancholy poet : 

** With many an arrow deep infix'd 
My panting side was charg'd when I withdrew 
To seek a healing balm^ in distant shades. 
There was I found by One who had himself 
Been hurt by th' archers. In his side he bore, 
And in his hands and feet, the cruel scars. 
With gentle force soliciting the darts, 
He drew them forth, and healed, and bade me live." 

The- conversion . of Job led his brother to consider his 
ways, and determine to reform his life. But he was not 
equally fortunate in obtaining speedily a satisfactory evi- 
dence of the remission of his sins. He did indeed forsake 
his wicked ways and his unrighteous thoughts, and he 
did experience a great change in his feelings ; but he 
could not give a reason for the trembling hope that was 
in him. In short, he was converted in heart and life ; 
but in state or relation he was unconverted. 

After remaining long in this doubtful state of mind, he 
finally resolved to attempt the cleansing of his way by 
'' taking heed thereto according to Grod's word.'' In pur- 
suance of this resolution, he became a diligent student of 
the Holy Scriptures, which were not long in making him 
wise unto salvation. Through the whole course of his 
long and eventful life, that word has been a '' lamp to his 
feet and a light to his path." 

He was about twenty-one years of age when he thus 
took the Bible as the man of his counsel, and relying 
mainly upon the purity of his motives and the sincerity 
of his desires, ventured to join the church, and regard 
himself as a Christian. Unable to designate the timo 

* " To seek a tranquil death in distant shades." — Original, 



144 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

and place at which ''the Lord spoke peace to his soul," 
(a thing which believers generally professed to do,) he 
was very far from having strong consolation ; yet, cling- 
ing to his faint hope, he groped his way, relying upon 
the divine assurance that ''the path of the just is as the 
shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect 
day.'^ 

About the year 1822 he and his brother Job both com- 
menced exhorting and preaching. A short time after- 
wards there occurred in their neighborhood a great " re- 
vival," many of the fruits of which were of that substantial 
kind which is "unto holiness, and the end everlasting 
life." Several young men that were brought into the 
church at that meeting subsequently became useful and 
somewhat distinguished preachers of the gospel. 

During that meeting many also came in w^ho had been 
trained up in the Quaker faith. Under the lenient rule 
which that church (JSTewlight) still retains, without the 
authority of one single apostolic precept or example, all 
these were received into full fellowship without submit- 
ting to the initiatory ordinance. Even Elder Combs him- 
self, though a preacher of the gospel, had never yet 
obeyed it ! Though his boyhood had been passed among 
Baptists, whose views he sincerely received, and for 
awhile firmly held, yet he had associated so long with 
Quakers that their traditions had made the word of God 
of none effect. So true is it that " evil communications 
corrupt good manners." 

Elder David Purviance, who was a man of great inde- 
pendence of thought, seems not to have been among 
those who (with the good intent of removing what they 
regarded as a great obstacle in the way of Christian 
union) were willing to concede that obedience to a posi- 
tive commandment was a " non-essential. '^ Certain it is 
that he assumed the responsibility of preaching to the 



MICHAEL COMBS. 145 

converts above named, and also to Elder Combs, a most 
convincing sermon relative to the duty of being immersed. 
So clearly and so powerfully did he develop the subject, 
that Elder Combs and many others tarried no longer, but 
arose and were baptized. Such was the singular and 
circuitous manner in which the subject of this sketch 
entered into the kingdom. 

After his immersion, he began to enlarge the field of 
his ministerial operations ; and it therefore became neces- 
sary for him to be licensed. Duly recommended by the 
congregation of which he was a member, he appeared 
before the Conference as an applicant for license. For 
some caase he was not regarded with much favor by that 
body ; and it was by only a small majority that he was 
commissioned as a preacher of the gospel. This hesita- 
tion on the part of the Conference troubled him but little ; 
for feeling that he had received a special call from God, it 
made no difference whether his preaching was acceptable 
to that body or not. 

At first it was " in weakness, in fear, and in much trem- 
bling" that he waited on his ministering. Being very 
poor, his family were dependent on his labors for their 
daily bread ; and his reputation as a preacher was not 
such as to command any considerable remuneration. 
Thus during the greater part of the time he was com- 
pelled to labor with his hands for the maintenance of his 
household. Yet ^'forgetting those things which were 
behind, and reaching forward to those things which were 
before, he pressed toward the mark for the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 

Acting upon the suggestion of Paul to Timothy, he 
determined to "study to show himself approved unto 
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." Ac- 
cordingly he addressed himself energetically to an inves- 
tigation of the principal doctrines that agitated the minds 
13 



146 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of those within the church, and blinded the eyes of those 
without. By a faithful prosecution of this course he 
rapidly multiplied his intellectual resources, and qualified 
himself to act successfully the important part subsequently 
assigned him in the Reformation. 

About the year 1826 he removed to Montgomery 
county, Indiana, having entered eighty acres of land near 
Crawfordsville. There he found no organized church ; 
but there were a few brethren and sisters, whose religion 
was bitterly opposed and grossly misrepresented. 

He at once volunteered his services as a preacher ; but 
being a stranger there it was feared by the brethren that 
he might not be able to resist the attacks which, it was 
certain, any demonstration on their part would provoke. 
Finally, however, they agreed to let him preach one ser- 
mon. At the same time it was privily agreed that a cer- 
tain old brother, the ^' wise man'' among them, should sit 
in the ''judgment seat" on the occasion. If in his opinion 
the discourse should indicate present ability and future 
usefulness on the part of the preacher, they were to com- 
mit their precarious cause to his hands. If, on the con- 
trary, the effort should be feeble and unsatisfactory, they 
were to give him neither encouragement nor a second 
trial. 

The day came. With anxious hearts came also the 
persecuted few who held fast the Lord's name ; while 
those of the world and of the orthodox churches took 
their places in the assembly, thinking, ''What will this 
babbler say ?" Inspired by the circumstances surround- 
ing his critical position, he made a most happy effort, 
which won for him, not only the favorable decision of the 
judge, but also the love and confidence of the entire little 
brotherhood. 

That day was the beginning of active operations in a 
new and extensive field. It was the early dawn of the 



MICHAEL COMBS. 14*1 

Reformation in that section of Indiana. Many false and 
injurious impressions were soon removed ; the views he 
advocated found favor in the eyes of a few of his neigh- 
bors ; and the materials were soon ready out of which to 
organize a new church. 

But before this object could be accomplished it was 
necessary that he should be ordained. For that purpose 
he went to the Conference, which convened that year at 
Old Union, in Owen county. Having passed his exami- 
nation, he was required to give his examiners a specimen 
of his sermonizing. For this, the second time, he was 
successful in running the gauntlet ; and it was therefore 
ordered that he should be ordained to the ministry by 
Jesse Hughes and Jesse Frasier. 

This being done he immediately organized a small 
church near or upon his farm in Montgomery county. 
The organization was subsequently removed to Crawfords- 
ville ; and thus the present flourishing church at that 
place had its origin. 

From Crawfordsville he visited many points in the 
White River Yalley ; at the most, if not all of which 
points, he was the first to oppose human creeds, and plead 
for a union of all Christians on the Bible alone. 

About this time he began to hear startling rumors con- 
cerning a certain Alexander Campbell that was said to 
have appeared, as a great fault-finder, at Bethany, Ya. 
To the most of Mr. Campbell's views as currently re- 
ported, he was heartily opposed ; but he rejoiced to hear 
that the confessedly able editor of the Christian Baptist 
was an uncompromising opposer of all creeds and con- 
fessions of faith not given by inspiration of God. But 
penury and prejudice prevented him from subscribing for 
the Christian Baptist ; and for two or three years he con- 
tinued his ministerial labors in the manner peculiar to the 
Old Christian Body. 



148 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

In the mean time Mr. Campbell made a tour to the 
West, and Elder Combs improved the opportunity thus 
afforded of hearing the remarkable man that was causing 
such commotion among the numerous ''branches'' of the 
church. The preacher, who was then in the prime of life, 
did not fail to bring certain strange things to the ears of 
Elder Combs, who found but little fault with the views 
presented. But then it was whispered about that ^' the 
half had not been told" — that the speaker with charac- 
teristic shrewdness had concealed his objectionable senti- 
ments. Therefore while '' some said, He is a good man,'' 
others said, **Nay ; but he deceiveth the people." 

These sly insinuations greatly diminished the effect 
which the great truths to which he had listened would 
otherwise have produced on the mind of Elder Combs. 
As it was, however, his attention was directed to certain 
passages of Scripture, which in due season convinced him 
of the error of his way. 

Soon after hearing Elder Campbell preach, he became 
a reader of his magazine. In that the distinction between 
Christianity and the traditions of men was so clearly 
pointed out that he could not fail to be convinced of the 
necessity of reform. Yet, fearing the people, he, for a 
long while, kept these things in his heart. Gradually 
adding courage to his faith, he ventured to advocate the 
ancient gospel in the corner though he did not yet dare 
to proclaim it upon the housetops. In this private man- 
ner he made a few converts ; and thus prepared the way 
for the change which was soon to follow. 

Finally, the few brethren that had gladly, though pri- 
vately, received the word, prevailed upon him to teach 
the people, publicly, that they were required to " repent 
and be baptized every one of them [you] in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." This he did for 



MICHAEL COMBS. 149 

the first time at a protracted meeting held in Edgar county, 
III,, in the year 1833. 

This departure from the orthodox track — made with 
great hesitation and only at the urgent and repeated re- 
quests of his brethren — was, as he anticipated, equivalent 
to a declaration of war. Brethren that had stood by him 
in many an hour of need, suddenly arrayed themselves 
against him ; sects that had bitterly opposed one another 
entered tacitly into an alliance to destroy the common 
foe ; and, in Western Indiana, the great conflict between 
truth and error had begun. Public debates and private 
disputations were of frequent occurrence ; the precepts of 
the apostles and the example of the first Christians were 
the all-absorbing topics of the day ; and almost every pro- 
fessor of religion, from the least even to the greatest, was 
converted into a Berean, searching for himself the Scrip- 
tures to see if certain things were so. 

Into this unequal warfare Michael Combs entered with 
great zeal, and at a great personal sacrifice. Having 
preached several years for almost nothing he had just 
reached a position in which his labors were beginning to 
be appreciated and rewarded ; and in abandoning that 
position he voluntarily deprived himself of that which 
afforded a comfortable livelihood, and subjected himself to 
the necessity of again preaching the gospel without money 
and without price. 

But while there were noble men to make these sacrifices 
for truth, there were noble women also whose industry 
replaced much of that which was lost — women who laid 
their hands to the spindle and whose hands held the dis- 
staff — women who rose while it was yet night and gave 
meat to their households — women who considered fields 
and bought them, who with the fruit of their hands planted 
vineyards — women who looked well to the ways of their 
households, and ate not the bread of idleness. — (Pro v. 



150 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

xxxi.) The efforts of these busy-fingered Christian mo- 
thers must not be overlooked in searching out the causes 
of the rapid extension of the Reformation in the great 
West. 

About the time the battle began to wax hot, Job Combs, 
J. Secrets, and Lewis Comer, all valiant soldiers from 
Ohio, appeared on the field. Secrets was a man of strong 
mind, mighty in word and doctrine. Comer, of less ability, 
but of a more excellent spirit, '^ adorned the doctrine of God 
our Saviour in all things. '^ Job's gift was exhortation ; and 
in the exercise of that gift he had no superior in that day. 

Encouraged by the arrival of these timely reinforce- 
ments, Elder Combs continued the good fight of faith. 
For a period of twelve years he was one of the very fore- 
most in the strife. He and his coadjutors went every- 
where in Western and Central Indiana, preaching the 
word. ''And so were the churches established in the 
faith, and increased in number daily." These results fol- 
lowed because the truth was mighty ; the preachers were 
zealous ; the brethren were exemplary ; and many of the 
people were tired of the prevailing systems, and eager to 
be shown a more excellent way. 

In the year 1833 he went into Bartholomew county on 
some business of a secular character. Conversing, one 
day, with an old lady and gentleman, on the subject of 
religion, the parties differed widely and were drawn into 
quite a spirited discussion. Finally, the old lady observed 
to her husband, " This stranger talks just like Jo. Fassett." 
On inquiry he learned that there was a Newlight church 
near by (at New Hope) and that " Jo. Fassett" was a 
leading preacher of that order. On Lord's day he went 
to that place of worship ; and there made the acquaintance 
of Elder Fassett, and of many brethren whose religious 
views did indeed coincide with his own. He found in 
Elder Fassett an earnest advocate of the union of all 



MICHAEL COMBS. 151 

Christians on the Bible alone ; and they immediately 
set about concerting measures to unite the disciples of 
Montgomery and the adjacent counties with the Kewlights 
of Bartholomew and other counties to the north and west 
of that. 

For this purpose a union meeting was appointed at the 
Bluffs of White River, in Morgan county. On the ap- 
pointed day hundreds of people and a great number of 
preachers of both parties, met together. It was agreed 
that the preachers who had been Calvinistic Baptists and 
those who were called '' Aminian Newlights," should 
preach a few times alternately in order that the differences 
between the parties might be made manifest. Elder Fas- 
sett, being the senior preacher on his side, led off on Friday 
morning; and the meeting was conducted as agreed upon 
until the next Monday evening. Both parties having re- 
nounced all human creeds, and both preaching for doctrine 
the Scripture given by inspiration of God, there appeared 
no material difference between them. All the speakers 
seemed to be of the same judgment, and to all speak the 
same thing. As early as Lord's day, it was evident that 
there were to be no more divisions between those two 
bodies of Christians. Hundreds sat down together that 
day at the table of their common Lord; and their commu- 
nion was ''as the dew that descended upon the mountains 
of Zion — for there the Lord commanded the blessing." 
The middle wall of partition was completely broken 
down ; and so far as those represented in that assembly 
were concerned, there were henceforth but one fold and 
one Shepherd. 

This meeting added greatly to the strength of the Re- 
formation. One more subborn fact was opposed to those 
who affected to regard the union of all Christians as a 
thing by no means feasible. 

About the same time Elder Combs was invited to at- 



152 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

tend a great camp-meeting to be held bj the Newlights 
near Bloomington in Monroe county. Elders Frank Pal- 
mer, John Smith, and other distinguished preachers of 
Kentucky were expected to be present. He was loth to 
accept this invitation ; because the State University was 
located at that point ; and he feared he could not preach 
acceptably in a region in which he supposed learning did 
greatly abound. But he finally concluded with Paul when 
he said, '' I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Bar- 
barians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much 
as in me is I am ready to preach the gospel to you that 
are at Rome also." 

It so happened that the preachers from Kentucky did 
not come ; and but for his presence there would have been 
a great disappointment. This circumstance inclined the 
people to listen more patiently to the strange views he 
presented. He soon secured the attention of the vast 
assembly — of the learned as well as the unlearned. A 
general and unprecedented interest was awakened in the 
community ; and during the progress of the meeting more 
professors than non-professors were converted to the re- 
ligion of the Lord Jesus. This was the beginning of the 
Reformation in Monroe county, where the Newlights were 
verv numerous. So well was the work commenced, and 
so successfully has it been prosecuted, that now there is 
not a single congregation — perhaps not a single member — 
of the old Christian body in Monroe county. 

Among those who gladly received the word at that 
meeting was David Batterton, who had been for some time 
an unbaptized member of the old Christian church, and 
who has been for many years an elder and a strong pillar 
in the house of the Lord at Bloomington. His wife also, 
who had fallen into the Slough of Despond, was rescued 
through obedience, and made an heir of the heavenly in- 
heritance into the possession of which she soon entered. 



MICHAEL COMBS. 153 

At another time he held a raeeting in a strong Methodist 
community in Henry county. Among his hearers at that 
time was Benjamin Franklin, who had then made no pro- 
fession of religion. To him the views of Elder Combs 
seemed both reasonable and scriptural ; and he defended 
them when attacked by those who resisted the truth. At 
that time and place may have been partially bent the twig, 
which subsequently took such deep root and shot forth so 
vigorously. 

These meetings are here mentioned merely as indices 
of the manner in which the truth was propagated in the 
former days. To mention all — to record the many re- 
markable conversions of that day — to enumerate the 
preachers old and young that were taught the way of God 
more perfectly — to describe the many happy scenes that 
were enacted at the firesides of those humble people who 
often spent the greater part of the night in talking of the 
law of the Lord — would require far more space than can 
be given in a sketch like this. 

For twelve or fifteen years Elder Coinbs gave himself 
almost entirely to the word, leaving to his wife the care 
of his family. During all this time he stood in the front 
rank of Reformers, and exerted a strong influence in many 
parts of the State. 

But finally the cares of this world choked the wOrd, and 
he became comparatively barren and unfruitful. Though 
he did not err from the faith ; yet, in seeking to increase 
his earthly possessions, he '' pierced himself through with 
many sorrows." 

It was not for his own sake, or because of an innate 
love of money that, to the partial neglect of the word, he 
turned his attention to the affairs of this life. But his 
children were growing up, and he longed for means to 
educate them and give them a '' start" in the world. 
Impelled by this motive, he plunged into business of a 



154 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

secular kind ; and entered upon the dangerous experiment 
of serving God and Mammon. At iQrst he turned his at- 
tention to farming. Afterwards he became a heavy con- 
tractor in the construction of railroads ; and finally became 
involved in politics. He was elected to the State Senate 
about the year 1851, which marked the close of his po- 
itical career. 

The result of all his struggles for gain was by no means 
satisfactory. What he had made at other employments 
he lost in his railroad operations ; and it is now a source 
of deep and lasting regret that he did not ''flee those 
things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, 
love, meekness, temperance.'^ 

That he made this sad mistake is owing partly to his 
own erring judgment, and partly to the illiberality of the 
disciples, who " having this world's goods and seeing 
their brethren have need, shut up their heart of compas- 
sion from him," The blame will be justly distributed by 
Him who shall "judge the world in righteousness." 

About the year 1853 he collected the remnant of his 
means, and removed to Illinois, still in hope of securing 
some land for his children. At a subsequent period he 
moved to Iowa, in which State he still resides, near 
Bellair, Appanoose county. He continues to preach and 
do good as he has opportunity ; but he is no longer the 
shining light that he was in former years. 

On account of his limited education. Elder Combs has 
written but little for the press. But he is now preparing 
for publication a work on a subject to which his attention 
was attracted in the following manner : 

When at the height of his usefulness in Indiana, there 
fell into his hands a small work on Prophecy, by S. M. 
McCorkle, who advocated a literal interpretation, and was 
therefore called a Literalist. After reading the book he 
sought an interview with its author, who lived at that 



MICHAEL COMBS. 155 

time in an adjoining county. During the few days which 
they passed together, each converted the other ; and since 
that period Elder Combs has devoted much time to the 
study of the prophets. The result of his investigations, 
as well as the conclusions to which he has come, will, 
no doibt, be fully revealed in his forthcoming book, should 
he live to complete it. It is sufficient to say, in this 
place, that his views of the prophecies and of the end of 
the world, were not generally received by the disciples ; 
and that it was by his advocacy of Second- Adventism, as 
well as by his becoming entangled in the affairs of this 
life, that he, to a great extent, destroyed his influence as 
a minister of the ancient gospel. Let his example deeply 
impress upon the mind and heart of every Christian 
preacher the solemn admonition of the great apostle : 
*' Take heed to thyself and to the doctrine. ^^ 

But it must not be supposed that Elder Combs, having 
so successfully preached to others, is himself in danger of 
becoming a castaway. Though his influence may have 
been injured through philosophy and vain deceit, yet he 
and thousands of others have been sanctified through the 
truth which he has preached. Though he may have 
erred in ^^ believing (as he supposed) all things which are 
written in the law and in ih^ prophets ; yet he has ever 
exercised himself in a hope both sure and steadfast, 
endeavoring to preserve " a conscience void of offence 
toward God and toward men." If he has been mistaken 
in crying, " Behold, the Bridegroom cometh," he is on 
that account the better prepared to meet Him at His 
coming. 



Elder Combs is a medium-sized, rather heavy set man, 
being about five feet eight inches high, and weighing 
about one hundred and sixty pounds. Though now en- 
feebled by age, he was once a man of much sprightliness 



15G PIONEER PREACHERS. 

and great physical power. In early life he contributed a 
liberal share of the labor that cleared away the western 
forest and prepared the way before the plow — hence his 
fine physical development. He has very pale blue eyes, 
light or sandy hair, and a ruddy complexion. 

He is a man of very fair natural ability. Though his 
mind is less powerful than some, it is more active than 
many. Through lack of mental discipline, he is not a 
clear, safe, sober-minded thinker; but he is strongly 
inclined to be visionary — prone to embrace new and 
strange theories. In the domain of thought, he can 
hardly be styled a ^* prudent man that looketh well to his 
going." 

As a speaker he used to rank high ; and nothing but 
age has detracted from his merit in this respect. His 
oratorical or excitable temperament always supplies him 
with intensity of feeling, which is said to be " the leading 
element of good speaking, for this excites feeling in others 
and moves the masses." It was not his habit to carefully 
prepare his sermons ; hence near the commencement of 
his discourses he was slow — frequently tedious; but 
toward the close his delivery was very rapid, highly 
animated, and sometimes truly eloquent. At such times 
it behooved the '' preaching brethren" who chanced to sit 
behind him in the stand, to look well to their toes ; for 
he not only gesticulated earnestly w^ith his hands, but he 
also wore heavy boots, which frequently and incautiously 
shifted their position. His discourses were usually of a 
doctrinal or controversial character ; and whatever some 
of them may have lacked in depth, was more than made 
up in length; for he has been known to preach for more 
than three hours. As a general thing, however, his dis- 
courses were deep as well as long; and, in the aggregate, 
they made a deep and lasting impression on the public 
mind. 



MICHAEL COMBS. 157 

As a husband and father he is indulgent, provident, 
kind, and affectionate. It is doubtful whether David 
loved his wayward son Absalom more fervently than he 
loves his eleven sons and daughters. 

Next after his family, his brethren share largely in his 
heart's best affections. For their sakes and to increase 
their number he has freely given, though he has not freely 
received. He once owned a valuable little farm and other 
property in Indiana, but it has all been sold, and the money, 
little by little, laid at the apostles' feet — cheerfully con- 
tributed for the support of the gospel and the extension 
of the Redeemer's kingdom. 

Nor has his generosity been exercised only toward the 
children of God. Like the '' perfect and upright man" of 
Uz, he has " delivered the poor that cried, the fatherless, 
and him that had none to help him." **The blessing of 
him that was ready to perish came upon him ; and he 
caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." In a word, 
benevolence is the leading trait of his character ; and if 
there is a man on earth w^ho, as he has had opportunity, 
has "done good unto all men, and especially unto those 
who are of the household of faith," that man is Elder 
Michael Combs. 

In so doing he has never been weary ; and far more 
desirable than all earthly riches, is his interest in the 
promise, " With what measure ye mete it shall be meas- 
used to you again." Well may he go down to the grave 
rejoicing in view of that day when " the dead, small and 
great, shall stand before God — when the books shall be 
opened, and the dead judged out of those things written 
in the books, according to their works,^^ 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 



-*♦► 



Elder Elijah Goodwin was born in Champaign county, 
Ohio, January 16th, 180*r. When th.ree yearis old his 
father, Aaron Goodwin, and his gradfather, Elijah Chap- 
man, together with several other families, emigrated to 
Illinois Territory and settled in the American Bottom, 
about twelve miles from St. Louis. This locality proving 
very unhealthful, they resolved to return to Ohio in the 
Fall of 1813. 

Matters being arranged for this purpose, they set out 
in wagons on their return, but by the time they reached 
Indiana Territory the winter set in with such severity that 
they could proceed no farther. They therefore pitched 
their tents in what is now Gibson county, some five miles 
north of the present town of Princeton, and there awaited 
the coming of Spring. 

In the mean time his father and others of the company 
made several excursions into the surrounding wilderness 
to ascertain the quality of the land, which, it w^as found, 
promised a rich reward to the future husbandman. There- 
fore their purpose of journeying farther eastward, passed 
away with the winter, and they chose for themselves 
dAvelling places between the forks of White River, in 
Daviess county, and about twenty miles east of Yincennes, 
or Old Post Yincent, as it was then called. 

At that time there were but few settlements of whites 

in that part of the Territory, and the stillness of the forest 

was seldom disturbed save by the red man shouting in 

the chase. They were therefore subjected to all the dan- 

158 




^v# 



^/ 




adyi^4-zy 




ELIJAH GOODWIN. 159 

gers and inconveniences incident to frontier life. Not 
the least of these inconveniences was the absence of the 
school-master. True, each neighborhood had a nominal 
teacher, but he was usually a blind leader of the blind, 
neither *' gentle, patient, nor apt to teach." Yet so weak 
was the element of civilization that even such a teacher 
could be sustained for only three months each year. 
Moreover Elijah^s parents were poor, and he was often 
required to be absent from the school that he might be 
present in the field or in the '^ clearing. '' His father usually 
signed one scholar for the term, and the time was made 
up by several of the family in such fractions as it often 
puzzled the ^^ master'^ himself to reckon. 

Under such circumstances, however, he learned to read, 
and, to him, this was equivalent to an education : for he 
possessed a mind delighting "to search out the causes of 
things,'' and, having acquired the ability to read, he be- 
came his own instructor. Among his first acquisitions 
was a respectable knowledge of the English language. 
This gave him a power in the pulpit which, in that day, 
was extraordinary, and elevated him at once to a some- 
what conspicuous rank in the ministry. He has been 
through life an inquisitive and indefatigable student — ever 
seeking to increase his stock of knowledge, whether in the 
school-room, behind the counter, at home with his family, 
or in the houses of his brethren as he has journeyed, 
preaching. To this studious habit, mainly, he owes, under 
God, his present honorable position, and to it society is 
indebted for his usefulness. 

Having by such means obtained a tolerable English 
education, he learned, with the assistance of some friend, 
the Greek alphabet. With this key he unlocked that 
classic store-house, in which, to the mere English scholar, 
are hid all the treasures of revealed wisdom and know- 
ledge. He is not, to be sure, a thorough Greek scholar, 



160 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

but by means of his Lexicon he is able to arrive at the 
meaning of the Scripture, as conveyed in the original 
words which the Holy Spirit taught. To conclude this 
topic, Elder Goodwin may be set down as an educated 
man, who is worthy of double honor in that he is 
self-educated. 

His religious training was more carefully attended to, 
though circumstances were unfavorable. His parents 
and grand-parents were members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, and, until he was thirteen years old, he 
never heard any but Methodist preachers. The ''circuits'' 
in those days being very l^rge, the bishop usually placed, 
on each, two itinerants, who, by making their appoint- 
ments eight weeks apart, supplied the '' societies" with 
preaching every four weeks. As the appointment usually 
fell on one of the '' six days," it was very common — 
indeed customary — for the men who attended to take 
their guns and dogs with them to church. Arriving at 
the house of worship, which was usually a squatter ^s cabin, 
they would '* stack arms" in the outside corner of the 
chimney, go in, and seat themselves with powder horns 
and shot-pouches hanging by their sides. The bene- 
diction pronounced, they whistled up the errant dogs, 
and set out in hope of killing a deer on their way home — 
a hope which was frequently realized. 

But it was perhaps not unfortunate that such circum- 
stances existed. As there were then no deified preachers, 
the believer could worship God even in their absence. 
There being no magnificent temples in which devotion 
could parade itself on Sundays, it took up its abode in 
the hearts of those simple people, and manifested itself to 
the Creator around the family altar. Such worshippers 
were the ancestors of Elder Goodwin. In his mother 
Mary and his grandmother Achsah, especially, dwelt the 
unfeigned faith. 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 16l 

He himself was piously inclined even from a child. 
He received the religious instructions of his parents 
with great readiness of mind, and, at a very tender age, 
was anxious to experience the joys of salvation. Nor did 
he think of becoming a Christian only — even then, in his 
childhood, he cherished the hope of being, one day, a 
preacher of the ever -blessed gospel. Long before he 
made a profession of religion, he used to steal away to 
the groves and deliver extempore sermons to the trees. 
Indeed, like the holy child Samuel, he seems to have been 
born for the obedience and service of the Lord. 

Looking forward to the ministerial profession, he did 
all in his power to qualify himself to discharge its solemn 
duties. His father's library contained only a Bible and a 
Methodist hymn book, but these he made his frequent 
study until he became very familiar with their contents. 

With such a disposition, it is not surprising that he was 
always delighted when the circuit-riders came round, and 
greatly interested in their singing and preaching. 

Those preachers taught that people could never " get 
religion" until they should be brought to see themselves 
as the vilest of sinners. They endeavored first of all to 
convince them of their total depravity, and, in the second 
place, to afford them a magnified conception of 

**W]iat eternal horrors hang 

Around the second death." 

Having thus brought them through the darkness of 
despair to the very verge of the awful pit, they suddenly 
admitted a flood of light from the Lord's blessed promises 
of forgiveness and mercy. By this artful manoeuvre they 
transported their hearers from the confines of ^* outer 
darkness" to the bright regions of hope ; and this rapid 
transition, this sudden elevation of greatly depressed 
spirits, the mourners regarded as their conversion, and 



162 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

glorified God ! In this plan of pardon there is at least 
some sound philosophy, and for this reason, possibly, it 
is still followed by many without the shadow of divine 
authority. To young Goodwin^s conversion under this 
system, one thing stood opposed — on a faithful compari- 
son of himself with his profane associates, he could not 
conclude that he was the chief of sinners. Therefore he 
remained in the kingdom of Satan, though most anxious 
to be translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. 

About the year 1819 there came into Daviess county 
several preachers who called themselves Christians, but 
were called by various nanies, such as Newlights, Schis- 
matics, Heretics, etc. The love, rather than " the terror 
of the Lord," was their favorite theme, and they appealed 
to sinners with great earnestness and with many tears. 
Young Goodwin soon became much attached to those 
despised people, and began to defend their views when 
opposed by the several orthodox sects. 

At one of their meetings held in May, 1821, near Wash- 
ington, he made a profession of religion, and was soon 
afterward received into the church. Under the lenient 
rule of the Old Christian Body, he enjoyed the fellowship 
of his brethren for several months without obeying from 
the heart "the form of doctrine." This he did through 
fear of wounding the feelings of his parents upon whose 
faith he had been sprinkled in infancy. This obstacle 
was entirely removed as soon as they were apprised of his 
heart's desire, and, in October following, he was immersed 
in Prairie Creek by Elder Cummins Brown. 

In 1823 his father moved into the southern part of the 
county to a point several miles from the nearest Christian 
church. Finding in that settlement a few persons of his 
faith, the young disciple, then in his sixteenth year, pre- 
vailed upon them to hold evening prayer meetings from 
house to house. At such meetings he at once became a 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 163 

leader, and from that he soon began to exhort and to 
preach. From the first he was very successful in bring- 
ing sinners to the anxious seat to call on the name of the 
Lord. But to those unfortunate ones who asked and re- 
ceived not, he could only say " pray on." He was at that 
time, like many preachers of the present day, in the con- 
dition of those so forcibly described by Paul, ''Desiring to 
be teachers of the law ; understanding neither what they 
say nor whereof they affirm." 

It was in May, 1824, that he first attempted to deliver 
a regular sermon. His text was 1 Peter, iv. 18. ''If the 
righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
the sinner appear ?" The following were the divisions of 
his subject in their order. 

I. Define the character of the righteous. 

II. Describe the character of the ungodly and the sinner. 

III. Answer the question, — '* Where shall the ungodly 
and the sinner appear." 

By observing this order he made a most favorable im- 
pression upon the minds of his hearers. 

He was followed by another preacher, by the name of 
Abner Davis, who took for his text, " The Lord hath done 
great things for us whereof we are glad." He made a 
direct application of the passage to the young speaker 
that had just taken his seat. He attempted to show that 
preaching was all-important ; that the Lord called and 
qualified all true preachers- ; that in the present case he 
had done a gr^eat things and they were all very glad of it ! 

From this time Elder Goodwin kept up regular appoint- 
ments in different parts of the county. As there were no 
railways and as he was too poor to buy a horse, he trav- 
elled at first on foot. In the beginning of his ministry he 
exhibited greater boldness than most young preachers, nor 
was he to be discouraged by any ordinary difficulty, as the 
following incident will show. 



164 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

He once sent an appointment to preach at a certain 
point in a distant part of the county. The day came, and 
after an early breakfast the youthful evangelist set out on 
foot. Arriving at the place, he found a few persons in 
the house, and a few others at a preacher's stand in a grove 
near by. Perceiving that the house would easily accom- 
modate all present, and supposing that all would come in 
when the exercises commenced, he took out his Testament 
and hymn book, and began to look for a suitable hymn. 
Upon this, those in the house arose and marched out to the 
stand two and two, male and female. Nothing daunted, 
the deserted preacher followed them, ascended the out- 
door pulpit, and, without giving them time to retire, began 
to read the introductory hymn. This attracted the atten- 
tion of the company, which had by this time become quite 
large. 

After singing and prayer, he proceeded to follow out in 
regular order the several divisions of his discourse, all 
the while thinking it wondrous strange that none of his 
brethren were present to aid and encourage him. When 
on the last division of his subject, a funeral procession 
came up, and then, for the first time, he discovered an 
open grave near him. The hearse was driven up near 
the stand, where the whole company took seats and lis- 
tened respectfully to the remainder of the sermon. 

An explanation followed, from which it appeared that 
his appointment had never been published, and that he 
had preached to people who had come out with no other 
purpose than to attend the funeral ! 

Up to this time he had obtained no authority to preach 
the gospel. But in September, 1825, he applied for license 
to the Indiana Christian Conference, which convened that 
year at Blue Spring, Monroe county. Agreeably to their 
custom they appointed a committee to examine the can- 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 165 

didates as to their soundness in the faith and aptness to 
teach. 

On this occasion, as usual, the committee was composed 
of gray-haired preachers who had been many years in the 
service. The chairman was Lewis Byram, a man of great 
gravity, extensive biblical knowledge, and excellent Chris- 
tian character. 

Before this venerable body the youthful candidate, then 
in his nineteenth year, presented himself with fear and 
trembling. But to his great surprise only two important 
questions were propounded to him. 1st, '' What think you 
of Christ, whose Son is he?" 2nd, "What do you under- 
stand to be the design of the death of Christ ?" To the 
first he answered promptly, ''I believe that Jesus Christ 
is the Son of God.'' Thus, having been four years in the 
church and two years in the ministry, he made the Scrip- 
tural confession of faith in Jesus Christ. 

To the other question he replied, ''I believe that Christ 
died to reconcile sinners to God, and not God to sinners." 
A few more inquiries with reference to his impression that 
it was his duty to preach, closed the examination, and the 
license was granted by a unanimous vote. His name was 
accordingly enrolled as a member of the Conference. It 
being a camp-meeting as well as a Conference occasion, 
the older preachers were anxious to hear the new member. 
They therefore appointed him to preach at the afternoon 
session. To him this was a greater task than it was for 
Paul to preach before the Areopagus. Before him, in a 
beautiful grove, sat an immense assembly ; behind him 
were the Elders of Israel. Nevertheless he delivered one 
of his systematic discourses, at the close of which he ex- 
horted with so much feeling that quite a number of persons 
presented themselves at the anxious seat. 

Hitherto he had attracted but little attention in the 
Conference, for in those days he wore an old white hat, 



166 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

whose crown, once cylindrical, had assumed a conical 
shape. His coat, also, was " out" at the elbows, and the 
length of his pantaloons had evidently been determined 
upon principles of rigid economy. After this effort, how- 
ever, they asked him many questions, and spoke, in flat- 
tering terms, of his ability. 

On returning home he reflected much on what he had 
seen and heard at Conference. It was held that such 
an organization was absolutely necessary to depose false 
teachers and prevent incompetent persons from being 
licensed. But, thought he, from such an examination as 
that to which I was subjected, what could they learn as 
to one's ability to preach the gospel ? Such reflections 
on the doings and uses of that ecclesiastical body, the 
Conference, begat in his mind a hostility to it, which soon 
made itself manifest. 

In the Summer of 1826, he received a letter from some 
friends in Illinois, near the mouth of Illinois river, re- 
questing him to come out and hold a few meetings in that 
region. This he resolved to do, taking the Conference in 
his route. This body met that year at some point in Owen 
county. After its adjournment he set out on horseback 
for his Illinois appointments, having just twenty-five cents 
in his pocket. 

There was at that time a flourishing church on Allison 
Prairie, some ten miles west of Yincennes. He resolved 
to proceed by way of this church, to spend a night with 
the brethren there, and preach for them. He reached 
Christian settlement before night, and called on a brother 
Daniel Travis, to whom he made known the object of his 
coming. The brother, who looked upon the outward ap- 
pearance, asked him several questions as to his age, the 
length of time he had been preaching, etc., and finally 
agreed to circulate the appointment. Quite a congrega- 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 161 

tion assembled, to whom he dis(?oursed in a manner that 
fully met their expectations. 

Next morning he started at early dawn in hope of 
reaching the house of a brother by noon. It was neces- 
sary for him to keep within the brotherhood as much as 
possible, for his purse was light and he received little or 
nothing for his labor in the Lord. Some preached vehe- 
mently against receiving any remuneration, but ''he had 
not so learned Christ. ^^ Moreover it seemed to him that, 
if none were receiving more than he, there was no need 
of warning the brethren against paying the preachers ! 

Previous to starting, his friend Travis asked him how 
far he was going. *' Some hundred and fifty miles," was 
the reply. " How much money have you for the trip ?" 
continued the questioner. '^ Twenty -five cen^s," said the 
preacher. The good brother then gave him an additional 
quarter — a liberal contribution in that day — and he went 
on his way rejoicing. 

He reached the brother's by the way-side after the sun 
had crossed the meridian. But dinner was soon prepared, 
which proved to be the last meal he enjoyed until he 
reached the end of his journey. Remembering that '' a 
righteous man regardeth the life of his beast,'' he spent 
his money for food for his horse, while he himself fasted 
for two whole days. 

Resuming his journey he resolved to travel all that 
night. In pursuance of this resolution he came, about 
one o'clock, A. M., to where some emigrants had en- 
camped for the night, at whose fire he stopped to warm 
himself. He had not been long by the fire when a coarse 
voice cried out, with a terrible allusion to Tartarus, 
'' What are you doing here ?" '' Only warming myself, 
sir," he innocently replied ; and turning round, he saw 
the man who had so rudely accosted him standing at his 
horse's head, the bridle over his arm, and a gun aimed 



168 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

directly at him. The holder of the weapon seeing him so 
unconcerned, came up and offered an apology. He said 
that the night before some one had stolen a horse in the 
neighborhood ; that the thief was expected to return and 
purloin other property; that the owner of the stolen horse 
had requested him to watch ; and that he had mistaken 
the innocent for the guilty. ^' Had you made the least 
attempt to run," said he, " I would have shot you down 
in your tracks." After this narrow escape the evangelist 
pursued his lonely way, and in two days more reached 
the place of his destination. 

Having preached a week or two for his Illinois friends, 
he set out on his return, intending to reach a camp- 
meeting on Barney's Prairie, Wabash county, by Saturday 
night. But at the close of that day he found himself 
twenty miles from the camp-ground, the road to which 
ran through a thinly settled region, and was not much 
travelled. Nevertheless about nine o'clock, P. M. he left 
the old Yincennes and St. Louis road and set out afresh 
for the camp-meeting, resolved once more to travel all 
night rather than fail in his undertaking. Of him this 
determination to carry out his purposes is characteristic. 
To fill his appointments he has often imperiled his life in 
crossing swollen streams ; and in every department of his 
business he is faithful to perform whatever he promises. 

About one o'clock the next morning he halted at a 
farm-house, called the farmer up and inquired the way 
and the distance to the place at which the meeting w^as 
to be held. " It is about six miles," said the kind man, 
" but light ; we will be going thither in the morning ; so 
tarry with us and take a little repose." 

By the time the horse was cared for, the good lady was 
up preparing a lunch for the weary traveller. After some 
conversation he observed to her ; '^ You resemble a lady 
of my acquaintance in Indiana, whose name is Day ; 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 169 

perhaps you are of the same name.'' ''No," said she, 
*' as far from it as you could easily imagine — my name is 
Knight.''^ 

After a refreshing nap, breakfast was taken, and Mr. 
and Mrs. Knight, together with the preacher, were soon 
on their way to the camp-ground, where they arrived just 
before the services commenced. A great number of per- 
sons were seated before a rude stand in a delightful 
grove. There were in attendance several distinguished 
preachers, among whom was the eccentric and talented 
William Kinkade. Goodwin was immediately invited 
into the stand and called upon for a sermon. No excuse 
would avail, so he arose and addressed the people from 
Romans i. 16 ; "I am not ashamed of the gospel of 
Christ." 

The following transcript of the original '' skeleton" of 
his discourse, will give the reader an idea of his method 
of sermonizing in that day. 

I. Show what the Gospel is. 

II. Offer Reasons for not being ashamed of it. 
I. It means Good News ; and so it is. 

1. To the sinner as one blind — it offers spiritual vision. 

2. To those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. 

3. To the morally diseased — it points to the great 
Physician. 

4. To the guilty — offering pardon. 

5. To the poor — offering " an inheritance incorrupti- 
ble," etc. 

6. To the dead — for it offers life eternal. 

II. We should not he ashamed of it, because 

1. It is the Sword of the Spirit, with which we fight 
the good fight of faith. 

2. It is a Directory in the way to Heaven. 

3. It is a Will, in which fullness of joy is bequeathed 
to them that shall be heirs of salvation. 

15 



170 piaNEER preache:rs. 

The effort was highly applauded even by the older 
preachers; yet, to one well acquainted with the Christian 
system, it is evident that none could learn, from such a 
discourse, what the gospel of Christ is, or what is to be 
done, on the part of man, in order to be saved by it. 

At the annual meeting of the Indiana Conference in 
the Fall of 1S21, he was appointed to travel and preach 
during six months of the ensuing year. The Wabash 
Conference, which embraced the churches in southwestern 
Indiana and southeastern Illinois, held its annual meeting 
about the same time. By it also he was appointed to 
preach half the year within the bounds of that Conference. 
These calls he accepted ; and for the sake of giving each 
an equal division of seasons, he threw the two districts 
into one, which gave him a circuit of about six hundred 
miles. He has, therefore, been a circuit-rider on a large 
scale ! Vermillion and White counties, Illinois; and Po- 
sey, Crawford, Monroe and Yigo counties, Indiana, formed 
the circumference of his circle. He arranged the appoint- 
ments so as to make a revolution every eight weeks. To 
do this he was kept busy every day, for the roads were in 
a bad condition, many of the creeks were unbridged, and 
the swamps at times almost impassable. 

No definite amount was promised him for his year's 
service. The brethren simply said, '' Go preach the gospel 
and we will see that you do not suffer." Under such a 
contract he of course received but very little compensa- 
tion. Still he filled out the time, had many happy meet- 
ings, and saw his labors crowned with a good degree of 
success. 

On the 6th of August, 1828, in Gibson county, Indiana 
he was married to Miss Jane Moore Davis, who still lives 
to share his sacrifices for the gospel, and to adorn the doc- 
trine of God our Saviour by her meekness and " patient 
continuance in well doing.'' 



' ELIJAH GOODWIN. ITl 

Shortly after his marriage he and his wife made a visit 
to Tennessee, passing through Kentucky. While she 
remained with a sister in Wilson county, Tennessee, he 
made a tour through several counties of that State. His 
preaching was well received, and greatly revived some 
old churches that had forgotten their first love. 

Up to this time he had operated on the mourning-bench 
system, under the illusion that the Bible is full of authority 
for proceeding in that way. While en route to Tennessee 
an aged sister, in Kentucky, at whose house he preached, 
asked him the following question : '' Brother Goodwin,'' 
said she, '' what is Baptism for ?" Having looked at the 
subject no further than he had been led by his seniors in 
the ministry, he replied, " Baptism is an emblem of the 
burial and resurrection of Christ : therefore one is bap- 
tised to show his faith in these facts." ''Then," con- 
tinued the old lady, '' the Lord's Supper shows our faith 
in the death of Christ, and Baptism shows our faith in his 
burial and resurrection," '' So I understand it," rejoined 
the preacher. " Why then^^^ said she, '' do we^ by the 
Supper, show forth the Lord^s death often, and, by 
Baptism, show forth his burial and resurrection only 
once in our whole lives ?" By this inquiry he was com- 
pletely nonplussed. The aged sister then observed that 
she was really anxious to ascertain the true design of the 
ordinance, for she thought there was something in it that 
all the preachers had overlooked. 

Here the conversation ended, but study and reflection 
began ; nor did he cease to reflect and inquire, until he 
had learned from the teaching of the apostles that Baptism, 
with its proper antecedents, is ''for the remission of sins." 

From this apparently trivial incident is to be dated the 
beginning of his reformation. Here he reached his aphe- 
lion, and began to approach the great Light of the World 
and his satellites, the apostles. Surely God hath " chosen 



1'I2 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and 
God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound 
the things that are mighty.'^ 

Previous to this, one thing had troubled him, but it 
had not shaken his faith in the correctness of his practice. 
He was always most successful in persuading people to 
the anxious seat ; but on almost all occasions he found 
persons — usually of the more sober and intelligent sort — 
who called upon the Lord in vain, for He would not 
answer. After almost every protracted meeting, he left 
many " unconverted" mourners, some of whom sought 
the Lord again, but others went their ways to infidelity. 

Finally he mentioned to older preachers the difficulty 
which was to him inexplicable ; and many expedients 
were resorted to in order to account for it without calling 
in question the correctness of the system. Of course that 
could not be wrong, for had not many souls been joyfully 
converted in that way ! 

About this time there arose no small stir among the 
brethren with reference to the Reformation, especially 
in its bearings upon church polity. Elder Goodwin had 
long begn opposing the organization of the ministers into 
an ecclesiastical body, which subject he had freely dis- 
cussed with the ablest preachers in open Conference. 
The Indiana Conference was soon decapitated by the 
sword of the Spirit ; and the Wabash Conference was not 
long in experiencing the same fate- — the churches as- 
suming an independent form of government; and the 
preachers becoming amenable to them. 

To assist in bringing about this result, was his first 
public act in the direction of reform. But the examina- 
tion, to which he had been led by the old lady in Ken- 
tucky, soon convinced him that the teaching of Christ 
and the acts of the apostles stood opposed to his teaching 
and practice on the important subject of conversion. He 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 1T3 

plainly saw that the apostles preached Christ crucified 
as the '' only name given under heaven among men 
whereby they could be saved;'' and that when the people 
believed their word, and were willing to obey the gospel, 
they commanded them to be baptized every one of them 
^' in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.'' 
He saw that in this way thousands became Christians in 
a single day without the long agonizing process through 
which his teaching compelled men to pass. He also dis- 
covered that in the beginning no one ever came sincerely 
to the Lord for salvation, and went away sorrowful, as 
many did in his day. 

But how to carry into practice what he now saw to be 
according to apostolic precept and example, was a grave 
question. He feared that if he should attempt to substi- 
tute the ancient gospel, which was hated, for the received 
traditions, which were dearly loved; the people would not 
obey it, and he would have occasion to say with Esaias, 
-' Lord, who hath believed our report." It was not until 
the Summer of 1835 that he resolved to declare the 
apostles' doctrine at all hazards, and exhort the people to 
obey the gospel as believers did on the day of Pentecost. 
" If," thought he, " I preach the same facts to be believed 
and the same commands to be obeyed ; and if the people 
believe and obey, surely all will be well, for the Lord is 
faithful that promised : but if they are contentious, and 
will not obey the truth, but persist in unrighteousness, 
then the consequence shall be upon their own heads — 
I shall have delivered my soul." 

From that hour to the present he has never taught the 
penitent sinner to seek pardon where God has never pro- 
mised to bestow it. He has learned too that if persons 
are truly convinced of their sinfulness and really desirous 
of obtaining forgiveness — if they have *' unfeigned faith" 



It4 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

in Christ and in his gracious promises — they will gladlj 
receive the word and be baptized, both men and women. 

Up to this time, except during the year he was em- 
ployed by the Conferences, he did not ''live of the gospel.'^ 
To support his family he sometimes taught school, some- 
times served as salesman in a store, but always preached 
as much as circumstances would possibly allow. 

In January, 1840, he abandoned all secular business 
and gave himself wholly to the word. He had organized 
several new churches in Posey county — one at Mount 
Vernon. These, with some Old Christian churches that 
had come into the Reformation, agreed to co-operate in 
sustaining him as an evangelist, at a salary of three hun- 
dred dollars per annum. Under this arrangement he labored 
for seven years, annually enlarging his field, which eventu- 
ally embraced portions of Illinois and Kentucky. 

According to a report contained in the Christian Record 
of that date, he travelled, during the year ending October, 
1845, three thousand four hundred and seventy-two miles 
and preached three hundred and eighty-two sermons. In 
1846 he lost nearly three months on account of ill health, 
yet he travelled, during the remainder of the year, about 
three thousand miles and delivered two hundred and 
thirty-one public discourses. 

This will serve as an index of his zeal for God, and as 
a measure of the influence he exerted as a speaker only, 
and not as a writer. He has always acted upon the sug- 
gestion of ting Solomon, " What thy hand findeth to do, 
do it with thy might. '^ 

In June, 184Y, he left his old residence at Mount 
Yernon, and removed to Bloomington, where he became 
associated with Elder J. M. Mathes in the publication of 
the Christian Record. 

In this connection he continued two years at a consi- 
derable sacrifice. The profits arising from the publication 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. I'JS 

were insufficient to support two families, and they received 
nothing for preaching, though employed nearly ever^ 
Lord's day and frequently throughout the week. The 
brethren, with singular view^s of justice and Christian 
obligation, seemed to think that the Record sustained 
the editors, and that therefore they ought to preach for 
nothing ! Strange that they did not see, with equal 
clearness, that if one half of their farms supported their 
families, they ought therefore to receive nothing for the 
products of the other half ! 

Starved out of the editorial chair, he removed to Madison 
and became the pastor of the church in that city. During 
two years from April, 1849, he preached for that congre- 
gation with very general acceptance and tolerable success. 

At the expiration of the second year he accepted a call 
from the church at Bloomington. The brethren at Madi- 
son remonstrated ; but his family was then large and his 
children w^ere demanding mental culture : therefore, for 
the sake of a better support, and especially in view of the 
educational facilities afforded by the State University, he 
returned to Bloomington in 1851, and assumed the pas- 
toral care of the churches at that place and Clear Creek. 

In this position he remained until the Fall of 1854, 
when he accepted an agency for the N. W. C. University. 
As an agent he was indefatigable ; and he did much 
toward increasing both the funds and the popularity of 
the institution. He canvassed a large portion of the 
State, soliciting stock and contributions, preaching the 
gospel, and, by public lectures and private conversations, 
awakening an educational spirit among all the people, 
and especially among those of the household of faith. 

Having become a prey to bronchitis, and being much 
exposed in this work, he suspended operations, as agent, 
for the Winter of 1855-6. But unwilling to be idle during 
that time, he wrote and published the Family Companion, 



It6 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

*' a book of sermons, on various subjects, both doctrinal 
and practical : intended for the private edification and 
comfort of the disciples of Christ, and to aid the honest 
inquirer after truth in finding the true church and the law 
of induction into the same ; etc., etc., etc." It is written 
in a plain, simple style, in which the rigor of logic and 
the spirit of Christ are happily blended. The popu- 
larity of the work is attested by its having already passed 
through five editions, and by, the fact that some of the 
sermons have been republished in Europe, and some have 
been translated into the German language. 

In the Spring of 1856 he resumed his agency, but upon 
the urgent solicitations of the brethren in Indianapolis, 
he abandoned that work in May ; on the 2tth of which 
month he became the pastor of the Christian congregation 
in that city. The church there was, then, in a deplorable 
condition. Through the influence of those who were con- 
tentious, it had been rent into two parties, each of which 
had their place of worship, and not a few things were 
being done " through strife and vain glory." It required 
much nerve and a firm reliance upon the strong arm of 
the Lord, to encounter such carnality;* and, having done 
so, he met with an opposition to his pacific measures that 
he had not anticipated. Under such trying circumstances 
many a man would have " withdrawn himself," leaving 
the wranglers to " eat of the fruit of their own way and 
be filled with their own devices." But realizing the im- 
portance of the church located at the capital of the State, 
and sympathizing with the righteous members that were 
partakers of the common shame, he resolved to meet all 
opposition with meekness and never to ^' give up the 
ship. " 

In this position he remained three years, in the course 

*lCor. iii. 3- 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. lY'T 

of which time the conflicting elements were brought 
together and their affinity re-established. The two folds 
became one again under one shepherd, and the congre* 
gation resumed a prosperous condition and a commanding 
influence. 

Having accomplished this happy result, he resigned 
his charge, and purchased of Elder J. M. Mathes the 
Christian Record, of which he became sole editor and 
proprietor. This valuable religious magazine he con- 
tinued to conduct, in Indianapolis, until the close of the 
year 1861. In addition to his editorial labors he made 
frequent preaching tours through this and other States of 
the Union, and rendered important service as Treasurer 
of the ]Sr. W. C. University. He was one of the commis- 
sioners to organize this institution, and from the beginning 
he has served as a member of the Business Committee and 
also of the Board of Directors, of which he has once been 
President. 

At the commencement of the year 1862, in connection 
with his eldest son, A. D. Goodwin, he began a new 
volume of the Monthly, and also commenced the publica- 
tion of the Weekly Christian Record, a family newspaper 
devoted to the interests of primitive Christianity. Both 
the paper and the magazine are ably and judiciously con- 
ducted, and they exert a powerful influence upon the dis- 
ciples in the northwest, whose liberal patronage they 
assuredly merit. 

In the course of his ministerial life he has been engaged 
in ten public discussions, in all of which, save two held 
prior to his entrance into the Reformation, he has suc- 
cessfully vindicated the truth as it is in Jesus. The first, 
which occurred in 1829, was a one-sided little afiPair, for 
the reason that his opponent, a Methodist preacher by the 
name of Richey, could not read the notes or comprehend 
the arguments prepared for him by another. 



1T8 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

The second was with Dr. H. Holland, also a minister 
in the M. E. Church, and a man of considerable ability. 
It took place in the court-house at Mount Yernon, in the 
Spring of 1832. Proposition : *' Is Jesus Christ the very 
and Eternal God ?" Afi&rmative — Holland ; negative — 
Goodwin. 

His third debate was held near Mount Vernon, in 1837. 
His opponent was the same Dr. Holland, and the subject 
Infant Baptism. The fourth, in which he was opposed 
by Joel Hume, a Predestinarian Baptist, occurred in 
1843 or 4. The proposition was the following ; *' Is it 
possible for all men to be saved by complying with con- 
ditions within their power." In the affirmative, Mr. Good- 
win offered twenty arguments, to ten of which his oppo- 
nent attempted no reply. 

He next discussed the Action, Subject and Design of 
Baptism, with the Rev. E. Forbes, of the M. E. Church. 
This transpired at Kent, Jefferson county, in February, 
1851, and was followed by the immersion of one of the 
moderators, his wife, and twelve others. In the Spring 
of 1853 he debated the same propositions with the Rev. 
James Scott (Methodist), in the chapel of the State 
University at Bloomington. At the same place in 1854 
or 5 he affirmed the following proposition : '' A law em- 
bracing the principles of search, seizure, confiscation, and 
destruction of intoxicating liquors kept for illegal sale, 
would be in accordance with the Bible and the Consti- 
tution of the State of Indiana, and promotive of the well- 
being of society." His opponent was Rev. Mr. Tabor 
of the Baptist Church. 

He subsequently debated with R. Hargrave (Methodist) 
on the Action and Design of Baptism ; and, at a still later 
period, with H. Wells (Lutheran) on the Action of Bap- 
tism. The former took place at Oxford, Benton county, 
the latter at Jalapa, Grant county. 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 119 

Finally, in December 1861, he debated the Action of 
Baptism at Cadiz, Henry county, with the Rev. M. 
Mahan of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This discus- 
sion lasted four days, and, like those preceding, converted 
to " sound doctrine" many who, turning away their ears 
from the truth, had been '^ turned unto fables." 

Thus did the subject of this sketch, by the force of his 
mind and the candor of his heart, find his way, through 
gross darkness, to the foundation of apostles and prophets, 
though born, baptized, and bred in a different faith. 

Thus by his own efforts, in the providence of God, has 
he elevated himself from obscurity to his present honora- 
ble and influential position. 

Thus has he lived without reproach and labored for his 
race almost without reward. 

Only a few more years, at farthest, will he write, and 
speak, and pray for the success of the Reformation, which 
he verily believes to be the cause of God ; then will he 
leave a bright example on earth, to ascend to a glorious 
inheritance in heaven. 



Elder Goodwin is a man of fine personal appearance. 
He is about five feet nine inches high — erect, well- 
proportioned, and weighs about one hundred and sixty 
pounds. His complexion is fair, his hair light and inter- 
mingled with gray. He has a well-balanced head, with 
a fine broad forehead, clearly indicative of great intel- 
lectual power. 

His mind is clear, logical, comprehensive. He is a 
deep, constant thinker ; and he reasons forcibly, from 
cause to effect more than by comparison. As a dis- 
putant, he is self-possessed, ready, convincing, and, under 
all circumstances, courteous toward his opponent. He 
descends to no chicanery to deceive the simple, employs 
no vulgar wit for the sake of gaining the applause of the 



180 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

multitude, but, by a clear and respectful '' manifestation 
of the truth,'' he commends himself ^' to every man's 
conscience in the sight of God." 

He possesses an amiable disposition and strong and 
lasting attachments. Except the cause of Christ, nothing 
lies nearer his heart or receives more of his attention than 
his family ; the remainder of which consists of the wife 
of his youth, two sons and two daughters. The rest have 
fallen '' on sleep," among whom was Friend Chapman, a 
promising son, who having graduated at the N. W. C. 
University, soon ^' finished his course" on earth and 
passed up into the presence of the Great Teacher. 

Though he has experienced many occasions of sadness, 
yet he is uniformly cheerful, and eminently sociable. 
Indeed, there is not a little humor in his composition, 
and he enjoys a good anecdote most heartily. This 
element he sometimes turns to good account, for, sanc- 
tified to the Master's use, he constrains all his powers to 
work together ''for good." The following incident will 
perhaps illustrate the manner in which he is wont to em- 
ploy his humorous faculty '' unto edifying." 

Once while on a preaching tour through Henderson 
county, Kentucky, he stopped one day at a blacksmith's 
shop to have his buggy slightly repaired. While the 
work was being done, he inquired of the smith with 
regard to the religious views of the people thereabout. 
*' Oh," said the smith, *' we have some Methodists, some 
Baptists, some Presbyterians and a few Campbellites." 
*^ Camphellites P^ said Goodwin, '' why what kind of peo- 
ple are they ?" 

Smith, — A very singular people, I assure you. They 
don't believe in repentance, in conversion, or in a change 
of heart. They also deny the operation of the Holy 
Spirit. 



ELIJAH aoODWIN. 18l 

Goodwin. — They must be a singular people, indeed. 
They deny repentance ? 

Smith. — Yes, sir. They would ridicule the idea of a 
sinner's repenting. 

Goodwin. — Is it possible ! Do they use the Bible in 
their meetings ? 

Smith. — yes, they talk much about the Bible, and 
" the Bible alone ;" but what I tell you is true. 

Goodwin. — Do they ever pray ? 

Smith. — Yes, they pray, and seem quite religious them- 
selves, but they take a sinner without any repentance, 
baptize him right in his sins, and pronounce him a Chris- 
tian. It i-s all water salvation with them. 

Goodwin. — Did you ever hear one of them preach ? 

Smith. — Yes, I have heard several of their strong men. 
They didn't deny repentance when I was there, but 
*' they say^^ they always do. 

Goodwin. — Did you ever hear a man by the name of 
Goodwin ? 

Smith. — No, but I have heard of him. They say he is 
an able man, but he met with his match once. 

Goodwin. — How did that happen ? 

Smith. — Why, he went out to Madison, in this State, 
and kept bantering until a little Presbyterian preacher 
took him up and demolished his system completely. 

Goodwin. — They had a regular debate, had they ? 

Smith. — Yes, sir, and I suppose a fellow never before 
got such a basting. 

Goodwin. — Did you hear the discussion ? 

Smith. — No ; but one of our preachers told me about it. 

Goodwin. — Who was he ? 

Smith. — Brother F . 

Goodwin. — I advise you not to repeat the story until 
you have better authority. I know something of Mr. 
F-r — , and I have no confidence in him whatever. 
16 



182 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Smith. — That is strange. We all have great confidence 
in him. 

(?ooc?tf;m.— Well, my good friend, I am the man he 
told you about, and I never had a debate in any part of 
Kentucky. The story is a sheer fabrication. 

Smith. — (Much confused.) Ah, well 1 I confess I never 
had as much confidence in brother P. as I have in some 
of our preachers. 

Goodwin. — Now, sir, let me give you a word of advice. 
Be careful how you make statements on the authority of 
your preachers. All you have said about the views of 
those whom you call Campbellites are gross misrepre- 
sentations. I hoive preached among them many years, 
and I know what I say. 

Here the colloquy ended, and Elder Goodwin pursued 
his journey, leaving behind him a wiser if not a better 
man. 

In attempting to describe him in the pulpit, one cannot 
do better than to adopt Cowper's fine description of 

*' A preacher sucli as Paul, 



Were lie on earth, would hear, approve, and own.'* 

It expresses him precisely ; for, without exaggeration, 

he is 

'* Simple, grave, sincere ; 

In doctrine uncorrupt ; in language plain, 
And plain in manner ; decent, solemn, chaste, 
And natural in gesture ; much impressed 
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, — 
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds 
May feel it too ; affectionate in look, 
And tender in address, as well becomes 
A messenger of grace to guilty men.'* 

To this it may be added that he is fluent, partly by 
nature and partly because he never speaks without pre- 
paration. His voice, once strong, clear, and melodious, 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 183 

has been somewhat impaired by disease ; and his delivery- 
is slightly monotonous. Yet the people everywhere hear 
him gladly ; for his ideas are good and abundant ; his 
discourses pointed, methodical, edifying. 

He possesses yet one other trait, which Cowper should 
have attributed to his model preacher — namely, boldness 
in defence of the truth. This sometimes exhibits itself to 
good advantage even out of the pulpit, as the following 
incident will show : 

Once when travelling on a western steamer, he observed 
a number of passengers collected in the gentlemen's cabin 
and engaged in earnest conversation. Approaching them, 
he found that one of the company was enlightening the 
others in regard to a new kind of professed Christians 
that had appeared in his part of the country. Said he, 
" They don't believe in any thing but baptism. They 
will take a sinner in all his guilt, immerse him in water, 
and pronounce him fit for heaven." 

After listening awhile. Elder Goodwin asked, ^^ Do 
these people have churches ?" '' yes, and preachers 
too," was the reply. ^' And they require nothing but 
baptism. I suppose then they never deal with their mem- 
bers for immoral conduct." '' Really, I am not sure as to 
that, but I rather think they do," said the stranger. *' Do 
you think," continued Goodwin, ^' that they would retain 
in their fellowship a thief, a blasphemer, a drunkard, or a 
false witness against his neighbor ?" The gentleman, 
who by this time had become much confused, replied, 
" no. I believe they would promptly exclude all such 
persons." "I perceive then," said the interrogator, ^'that 
those people require more than baptism. From your 
own lips I prove you guilty of bearing false witness ; and 
now let me advise you to be more careful^ in future ^ when 
attempting to represent the views and practices of men 
professing godliness,''^ He. then proceeded, by request, to 



184 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

give the gospel plan of conversion and salvation : the 
*' false witness" was silent, and the company were both 
pleased and edified. 

His success as a speaker is, perhaps, more than balanced 
by his influence as a writer. From his connection with 
the Reformation until the present, he has written more or 
less for several religious papers and magazines, the most 
of his contributions being to the Christian Record. Since 
his instalment in the editorial chair — which, to him, is not 
an '' easy" one — his pen has seldom been idle. Enter his 
sanctum at almost any hour of the day, and you will find 
him, pen in hand, surrounded by his exchanges and books 
of reference. You would like to sit longer and enjoy his 
agreeable conversation, but you feel that you are encroach- 
ing upon his time. He is an indefatigable worker. The 
cause of Godliness, the cause of Temperance, the cause 
of Union, the cause of Missions, the cause of Education, 
the cause of the National Government, the cause of 
Human Liberty, without respect to races — all find, in 
him, an unwearied and unwavering advocate. 

His style is more remarkable for its perspicuity than for 
its vigor, ornament, or conciseness. He never attempts 
to write any thing beautiful, and his pen assumes consi- 
derable latitude of expression, being careful only to keep 
within the bounds of truth. Though his literary produc- 
tions never fall below mediocrity, yet he is a useful rather 
than an elegant writer. Extracts would be inserted in 
this sketch, but for the fact that his writings are so nume- 
rous and so worthy of preservation, that they will no 
doubt be collected and given to the world in book form 
as soon as he shall have written the last line and laid 
aside his pen forever. To that certain event he already 
begins to look forward with regret, but not with fear; 
for, having been " diligent in business" as well as '* fervent 



ELIJAH GOODWIN. 185 

in spirit," the testimony of his conscience assures him 
that he 

** From his Lord 

Will receive the glad word, 
* Well and faithfully done, 

Enter into my joy 
And sit down on my throne.' " 



JOSEPH WILSON 



-*%*- 



Elder Joseph Wilson was born in Camden county, 
[NTorth Carolina, October 3d, 1796. His grandparents 
were members of the Society of Friends ; but his father, 
at the age of eighteen, joined the Baptists, and commenced 
preaching. Afterwards he removed to Hawkins county, 
Tennessee, his son Joseph being then six years old. In 
such schools as Tennessee afforded half a century ago, 
Elder Wilson received his education. His course of study 
comprised only spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic, 
and even of these branches he obtained but a very im- 
perfect knowledge. He is therefore one 

" Whose soul fair Science never taught to stray 
Far as the solar walk or milky way." 

Hence his speech and his preaching have not been " with 
the enticing words of man^s wisdom," and his extraordi- 
nary success as an evangelist is to be attributed, not to 
the ''wisdom of men," but to the ''power of God" — to 
the truth and native force of the principles for which he 
has contended. 

When not more than fifteen years old, amid the gross 
spiritual darkness that then reigned, he began to feel after 
God, if haply he might find him, though he is not far 
from every one of us. For two or three years he searched 
the Scriptures diligently, but without being able to dis- 
cover the way of salvation — not because the way is ob- 
scure, but because he knew not how or where to search 
as he ought. Finally he said to himself, " Why do I eon- 
186 





^ 








X 



JOSEPH WILSON. 181 

tinue to read what God never designed to be understood 
by one like me ? The Bible is, to the sinner, a sealed 
book, a profound mystery: let it be laid aside." Thus 
had he been taught — thus were all the people taught in 
that day. '' Great is the mystery of godliness" was a 
favorite text with the preachers, and often did they 
neglect to preach Christ crucified, in order to comfort (?) 
the people with the precious doctrine that ^^the natural 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit." 1 Cor. ii. 14. 
When it is remembered that such preaching still obtains, 
it is no longer strange that so many have thrown aside 
their Bibles, as did Elder Wilson, and turned their atten- 
tion to the unauthoritative productions of men, who, it 
would seem, write with more clearness and precision than 
did the Holy Spirit, since their works, for the most part, 
are intelligible ! What else is to be expected than an 
increase of skepticism, and a corresponding decrease of 
Bible reading, so long as the unconverted — the great 
majority of mankind — are taught, from the sacred desk, 
that they cannot understand the revelation of God ? 

Having despaired of obtaining information from the 
Scriptures, the young inquirer next applied to his father 
and other popular preachers, saying, ^' What shall I do ?" 
They advised him to pray and wait, assuring him that 
God would, in his own good time, grant him faith and 
repentance unto life. Though this direction was slightly 
different from that given by Peter on the day of Pente- 
cost, yet it was satisfactory to him ; and agreeably to it 
he ^' waited" until he reached his twentieth year. Under 
such teaching, alas ! how many have waited, in disobe- 
dience, until the summer was past, the harvest was ended, 
and they were not saved ! 

While waiting for some mysterious, if not miraculous, 
visitation from God, he examined, the Baptist creed, which 
the preachers seemed to think he could understand. 



188 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

although they claimed that it — like all other creeds — 
contained only the doctrines of the unintelligible Bible, 
arranged in a more concise and convenient form ! To 
this creed he determined that he would never subscribe, 
because it contained the doctrine of eternal and uncon- 
ditional election, which, in his opinion, represented the 
just and merciful Father as a God of matchless cruelty 
and injustice. 

Next after the creed he read a work on Universalism, 
entitled '' The Works of Winchester.'^ This book taught 
that a man dying in sin would descend into hell, and 
there remain until he paid ^' the uttermost farthing,'' after 
which he would ascend into heaven. This doctrine he 
received and tremblingly adhered to for about four years ; 
but he continually weighed it in the balance of the Scrip- 
tures, until at last it was found wanting and abandoned. 

About this time he first heard of B. W. Stone, Dany 
Travis, and others, who had taken their position on the 
Bible alone ; but they were so misrepresented, so de- 
nounced as heretics, that he was afraid to let his soul into 
their secret. 

He next applied to the Methodists for advice. They 
told him that he must repent, come to the mourner's 
bench, and pray for faith 1 This doctrine of repentance 
before faith was then quite common, though it could not 
justly claim to be either apostolic or reasonable : for how 
can a man repent of having sinned against a Being in 
whose existence he does not believe ? How can he ob- 
tain faith by prayer, when he cannot pray acceptably 
without faith ? Jas. i. 6, 1. These most obvious absurd- 
ities Elder Wilson had not then perceived ; so he attended 
a camp-meeting, and obeyed to the letter all the command- 
ments of men. But it was all in vain ; for, although he 
asked, he received not ; though he sought, he found not ; 
though he mourned, he was not comforted. 



JOSEPH WILSON. 189 

Being sent empty away, he returned home, through 
the Slough of Despond, and again resolved to await God's 
time. Yet he often prayed for a heart of flesh, and for 
some satisfactory evidence of his pardon ; and if pardon 
had been dispensed simply in answer to prayer, he cer- 
tainly would have obtained it, for never was a man more 
sincere, more humble, or more willing to perform whatso- 
ever the Lord might require at his hands. 

After some months, he again applied the Methodist 
machinery. At the close of a season of prayer they asked 
him how he felt. He replied that he had neither seen any 
^' great light," nor experienced any unusual feeling. They 
then inquired if he loved the Saviour ; and being answered 
affirmatively, they decided that he had religion, and that 
it was necessary for him only to join the church, and go 
forward in the discharge of his Christian duties. Thus 
did they dispose of this rather difficult case. He won- 
dered that his conversion should differ so much from that 
of many others, but then he was reminded that, ^^ ivithout 
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness^\^ This 
being a satisfactory explanation of the anomaly, he at- 
tached himself to the M. E. Church, and was immersed 

on the day of March, 1821. The same day he was 

promoted to the office of class-leader — an office not often 
mentioned or clearly defined in the constitution of the 
primitive church ! 

In May, 1821, he was married to Miss Anna Goad, 
daughter of Steven Goad, of White county, Tennessee ; 
and in Autumn of the same year he removed to Greene 
county, Indiana, in which no gospel was known to the 
few inhabitants, save that of repentance and prayer before 
faith. 

By this time, through diligent study of the Scriptures, 
he had arrived at two important conclusions : first, that 
the Bible is an intelligible book ; and, second, that divi- 



190 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

sions in the church of Christ are contrary to the will of 
God, and detrimental to the spiritual interests of man. It 
was not long after he came to these conclusions, from his 
own reading of the word, until several Newlight preach- 
ers moved into Monroe county, and commenced pleading 
for the Bible alone as a basis on which all Christians 
should unite. One of these preachers, John Storms, 
made an appointment to preach in Green county. Elder 
Wilson attended the meeting ; but, as the Newlights were 
everywhere spoken against, he took a seat in the farthest 
corner of the house. The great controversy between the 
adherents to the commonly -received doctrine of the 
*' Trinity" and the advocates of a species of Unitarianism, 
was then rife in this State. The speaker therefore took 
for his text the words, '' Whose Son is he ?" upon which 
he discoursed in such a manner as to make a favorable 
impression upon the man in the corner. The preacher 
left another appointment ; then others came and plead for 
union among the children of God, until finally Elder 
WilsoD determined to step upon the platform of apostles 
and prophets, even at the peril of being decried as a 
Newlight, a Stoneite, a Heretic, or an Apostate. 

In March, 1822, he voluntarily withdrew from the M. 
E. Church ; and a new congregation was organized, con- 
sisting of himself and nine others. Thus were taken two 
steps in the right direction — they adopted the right creed, 
the Bible, and the right name. Christian. Still they re- 
tained many errors. They continued to talk of '' getting 
religion," and to teach that it was to be found at the 
mourner's bench ; while the disciplinary power was vested 
in the Annual Conference instead of the several churches. 
At one of these Conferences, held in Monroe county, on 
the 16th of September, 1825, Elder Wilson was licensed 
to preach the gospel ; and in September, 1828, he was 
formally ordained as an evangelist by John Storms, and 



JOSEPH WILSON. 191 

Judge David McDonald, then a travelling preacher, now 
a distinguished member of the Indianapolis bar. 

After his ordination, he began to travel and preach on 
a more extensive scale — to travel, not in a comfortable 
car drawn by the iron Pegasus, but on horseback, through 
mud and dust, through wet and dry, through heat and 
cold, by night and by day. In all of his journeyings, he 
at first paid his own expenses, and would accept no re- 
muneration for his services ; for he, also, lived in the age 
in which preachers often expounded the tenth chapter of 
John, each being unwilling to be the *' hireling" spoken 
of in that connection. 

This doctrine — that the gospel should be preached 
without money and without price — was but too cordially 
received by their brethren. Hence many of the pioneers 
have known how to be in want ; while but few have, like 
Paul, known also how to abound. Hence many indi- 
viduals have been destitute of " fruit that might otherwise 
have abounded to their account," and many congregations 
have failed to exhibit that liberality which is ''an odor 
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to 
God." Hence, also, the progress of the gospel has been 
retarded, because those, whose sole business would have 
been to preach it, have been compelled to leave the word 
of God, in order to supply the wants of their families. 

The consequences of this false teaching bore heavily 
upon Elder Wilson. During the first seventeen years of 
his ministry he received from the churches only about five 
dollars ; and he was often greatly embarrassed for want 
of money to defray his travelling expenses. When he 
first began to extend his circuit, he visited once a month 
a congregation on Black creek, in Daviess county. To 
reach this he had to cross* White river ; and not being 
able, at all times, to command even so small a sum as 
twenty-five cents, he stipulated with the ferryman to pay 



192 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

him annually, hut not in advance. At the end of the 
fourth year he was informed by the ferryman that his ac- 
count, for that year, was in the hands of an officer for 
collection. He paid the debt without further legal pro- 
cess ; but he was compelled to abandon the work at 
Black creek, because, as in the vision of Ezekiel, there 
was a ^^river^^ that he ''could not pass over.'^^ 

Some years after, he had an appointment in Illinois. 
Having to cross both the Wabash and White river, going 
and returning, he required for this purpose four '' bits," 
in the currency of those times ; but at the hour of start- 
ing the total amount of specie on hand was only three 
"bits." However, he set out, trusting that the place of 
meeting would be a ^' Jehovah-jireh" — ''the Lord will 
provide." The meeting being over, his mind was greatly 
exercised to discover the means of returning home. 
There lay the impassable rivers between him and his 
family, as between the lost souls and the elysian fields 
lay the fabulous Styx. At last he concluded that his 
remaining '' bit" would secure his passage of the Wabash, 
and that he would, on reaching White river, prevail upon 
his old friend, the ferryman, to trust him once more. 
When he began to put on his leggins, he discovered 
several knots tied in one of them. He set about untying 
these, with Christian patience, thinking that the thought- 
less children had placed them there ; when lo ! in the 
last one a solitary '' bit" met his astonished and delighted 
vision. This secret contribution of some good brother 
or sister seemed to him a very God- send, and he went on 
his way rejoicing. 

The following anecdote will still further exhibit his 
straitened circumstances in those days. Once upon a 
time he and Elder Jos. Wolfe had been on a preaching 
tour to Hlinois. Having crossed the Wabash on their 
return, they stayed all night with a brother who lived in 



JOSEPH WILSON. 193 

Mesopotaniia — between the rivers. When about to re- 
tire, Elder Wilson said, ''Now, brother Wolfe, don't steal 
mj money to-night." " No danger," said he, *' that would 
be breaking a commandment for a very small considera- 
tion." " Perhaps not," replied Wilson, " you do not know 
how much I have." '' Yes, I do,'' said Wolfe, '' you have 
just one 'bit.' You had four, no doubt, when you left 
home ; you paid two for ferriage as we went, one to cross 
the Wabash on our return ; and you have one left to pay 
your fare across White river to-morrow." He acknow- 
ledged the correctness of the reckoning, they enjoyed a 
hearty laugh, and spent a large portion of the night in 
talking over their trials, and contrasting their present 
poverty with the unsearchable riches they hoped to 
inherit. 

The hardships of his family were not less than his own. 
His children were growing up without the means of 
acquiring an education ; and, indeed, they were often but 
ill protected against the wintry storms. His wife, a most 
zealous and self-denying Christian, was often in want of 
suitable clothing to appear even in the plain society of 
that day. In the absence of her husband she carried on 
the secular business, and when he was unexpectedly 
detained, she provided with her own hands, in rain and 
snow, the wood that warmed her household. At one 
time he owned a saw-mill on a small stream which would 
often rise in his absence, and he would thus lose many 
opportunities for sawing. To prevent this loss, his wife 
used to run the mill ; and, at such times, she has saved 
thousands of feet of lumber. No wonder that she occa- 
sionally felt discouraged. No wonder that, sometimes, 
when the little ones had retired to their humble couches, 
the parents sat by the fire, talked of their trials, and 
applied to themselves the Scripture which saith, " If in 
this life only we have hope, we are of all men most 
11 



194 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

miserable." But soon they reckoned '^ that the sufferings 
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory that shall be revealed in us ;" and on the mor- 
row the wife laid hold of the distaff, and the husband 
went forth to preach the gospel. 

But to resume the account of his labors. After aban- 
doning the work at Black creek, he preached with good 
success in several counties which could be reached with- 
out crossing any river. 

In May, 1833, he made a visit to Mill Creek, Illinois — 
preaching by the way at Black Creek, Antioch, Farmer's 
Prairie, and Little York. At the close of the meeting at 
Mill Creek several Methodists of that vicinity, being almost 
persuaded to call themselves Christians, requested him to 
leave another appointment. He promised to return in 
August. Arriving at the appointed time he found no 
small stir among the people. The Methodists were en- 
gaged in a revival, and they proposed that Elder Wilson 
should add his strength to theirs, and that they should 
have a Union meeting. For this end an extra Methodist 
preacher had been imported, and a stand erected in a 
beautiful grove for the joint use of the said preacher and 
Elder Wilson. They used it jointly for several days. 
Union being the main subject — and the Baptists and 
Presbyterians of the neighborhood taking an active part 
in the meeting. All prayed so fervently for a union of 
all Christians, that Elder Wilson half suspected, and deter- 
mined to test, their sincerity. So on the next day he 
arranged it for the Methodist to speak first and himself to 
follow. After having spoken about an hour and a half he 
said, " Well, brethren, we have been together a long time, 
and no reason seems to have been developed why we 
should not dwell together in unity. By our hymns, ex- 
hortations and prayers, we have professed great faith in 
the possibility and propriety of a permanent union of all 



JOSEPH WILSON. 195 

the followers of Jesus; and I now desire to see how many 
are willing to show their faith by their works." He then 
placed a Bible on the stand, and requested all who were 
willing to lay aside their Disciplines and Confessions of 
Faith and take the Bible as their only creed — to make it 
known by coming forward and placing their hands on the 
sacred book. When the congregation arose to sing, there 
was a general movement toward the pulpit. Sixty were 
counted — when they came so fast that it w^as impossible 
to count them. In the midst of the excitement, search 
was made for the Methodist preacher. He was found 
sitting in the pulpit, still faithful, as Casabianca, to his 
dogmas and his Discipline, all his union sermons to the 
contrary notwithstanding. 

" From sucli apostles, ye mitred heads, 
Preserve the church ! and lay not careless hands 
On skulls that cannot teach, and will not learn.'' ^ 

Elder Wilson does not know how many he immersed 
on that occasion ; but in September following he held 
another meeting, and organized a church, for which he 
preached quarterly for many years. In his care the 
church grew so rapidly that it has since been peaceably 
divided into three flourishing congregations. Is there 
not reason to believe that churches everywhere would 
thus increase, if the divine creed were everywhere 
adopted, and if Christians would all " stand fast in one 
spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the 
gospeP^ ? 

About the year 1833 the doctrine of the Reformation 
began to prevail in Green county to an extent somewhat 
alarming to those most zealous for the traditions of the 
fathers. Elder Wilson and his brethren, though they 
called themselves Christians and professed to take the 
word of God as the man of their counsel, still held many 



196 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of these traditions. Hence his brethren were generally in 
favor of closing the doors of their churches against the 
so-called Campbellites. But he said, '' Not so — these 
people call themselves Christians and claim to be governed 
by the word of God. We have long proposed to receive 
any or all good men on that platform ; and although they 
oppose our views we must give them a hearing. It may 
be that we have not learned as much as we ought, and 
that they are wise above what is written. Possibly they 
may prove of service to us, and we to them." 

By pursuing this course with his brethren, he perhaps 
did more to advance the cause of the Reformation than if 
he had been positively advocating it ; for it easily triumphs 
wherever it obtains a hearing. Stephen might have saved 
himself from martyrdom, if his enemies had not stopped 
their ears when they ran upon him ; and the advocates 
of the faith once delivered to the saints, can easily silence 
all opposition to it, if only the ears of the people are not 
dull of hearing. 

Among the most uncompromising advocates of reform, 
at that time, was Morris R. Trimble. He was making 
great havoc in the sectarian folds throughout Sullivan, 
Daviess, Knox, and Greene counties. To preserve the 
peace and harmony of the churches Elder Wilson and his 
brother John appointed a union meeting on Prairie creek, 
in Daviess county. Having preached one night and 
invited mourners to the altar, a Christian preacher, who 
happened to he present, remonstrated with him, a Bible 
man, for preaching doctrine and adhering to a practice 
for which the Bible furnished neither authority nor pre- 
cedent. On being thus accosted — to his praise be it 
written — he did not become angry ; he did not say that 
the brother was " uncharitable," or that he thought there 
were ''good Christians in all churches," or that he ''hated 
controversy," But he replied that he thought the Bible 



JOSEPH WILSON. 197 

taught as he taught ; that he might be in error ; that he 
would investigate the matter, and if his doctrine was not 
contained in the Scriptures, he would never preach it 
again. 

He returns home and begins the search. In Matthew v. 
4, he reads, *' Blessed are they that mourn; and in chap- 
ter vii. 7, '' Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall 
find." But by reference to chapter v. 1, he ascertains 
that Jesus addressed these words to his disciples, and not 
to aliens. He comes to Luke iii. 10, where the publicans 
and soldiers go to John, saying, '' What shall we do ?" 
But to his surprise John tells none of them to pray, and 
by that means to endeavor to get religion. He reads of 
the young man that ran to Jesus, saying, '* What shall I 
do to inherit eternal life ?" Here he hopes to find the 
authority from Jesus' own lips, but no mention is made 
of ''the anxious seat." When the heart-stricken Jews, 
on the day of Pentecost, propounded the same question 
to Peter, he thinks he will surely find it, but it is not 
there. At last he finds Paul, prostrate upon the ground, 
crying, '' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" but 
Jesus only says, '' Go unto Damascus and there it shall 
be told thee." He follows Paul to Damascus, and almost 
claims the victory, as he sees him kneel in prayer. As 
Ananias approaches, he expects to see him bow down 
beside the blind penitent and wrestle with God for him in 
prayer ; but to his astonishment Ananias only says, 
"■ Why tarriest thou ? arise and be baptized and wash 
away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord." Thus he 
continued his fruitless search until he came to the last of 
Revelations; and having learned that, in every place, the 
promise is to ''those that do his commandments," he 
abandoned tradition forever. This reading convinced him 
that there are so many divisions among the followers of 
Christ because there are so many things preached lohich 



198 PIONEER PREACHEKS. 

are not found in the Bible. He therefore resolved that in 
the future, he, for one, would teach nothing save what is 
expressly taught by the Lord and by his apostles. Thus 
at last he entered fully into the Reformation, where for 
many years he has remained '' steadfast, immovable, 
always abounding in the work of the Lord.'^ 

Not long after this event, distrusting his education and 
being oppressed by poverty, he determined to quit preach- 
ing; to labor henceforth with his hands, and give one- 
fourth of all the proceeds toward sustaining Elder Trimble 
in the Lord's vineyard. But he soon became dissatisfied 
with this species of well-doing ; and, concluding that, 
with his limited education, he could tell the simple story 
of the cross and repeat the language of the apostles, he 
again entered the field and preached with his usual success 
for several years. 

About the year 1839 he, at the suggestion of his wife, 
disposed of the mill property, bought some uncleared land 
in Daviess county, removed thither, and spent two years 
in opening a small farm. By means of this farm his four 
sons were able to maintain the family ; therefore, at the 
close of the two years, he began to give himself wholly 
to the word. For the next thirteen years he preached 
constantly in Daviess and the adjacent counties — and 
wherever a door of utterance was opened to him. 

At one time he was invited to attend three protracted 
meetings in southern Indiana. Having attended the first, 
he set out for the second in company with two or three 
other preachers. There was an appointment for night 
meeting at a private house, or cabin, by the way. When 
they reached the spot it was raining, yet the house was 
w^ell filled. Elder Wilson preached, and concluded his 
discourse with some remarks on Christian union. At the 
close of the meeting — the rain still falling so that the 
people could not leave — a large man walked up to him 



JOSEPH WILSON. 199 

and said, in an excited tone : '* A part of your discourse, 
sir, was uncalled for and entirely out of place.'' ''What 
part?" inquired the preacher. '' That part about union,'' 
said the man. " The Lord never intended that we should 
all believe alike." Ascertaining that his opponent was a 
Baptist preacher, Elder Wilson proposed that they should 
seat themselves, talk the matter over, and, if possible, 
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of 
the Son of God. The other stoutly objected, declaring 
that they never could believe alike with respect to Jesus 
Christ, the operation of the Holy Spirit, Baptism, and 
many other things. Finally his objections were over- 
ruled ; the two preachers sat down together ; and the 
following dialogue took place in the hearing of all 
present : 

Wilson. — Do you believe what the Bible says about 
Jesus Christ ? 

Baptist.' — I do. 

Wilson. — Do you believe any thing more concerning 
Jesus than what the Bible says ? 

Baptist. — No, sir ; I do not. 

Wilson. — Yery well : now, do you believe there is one 
living and true God, of whom are all things and we in 
him ? 

Baptist. — Most assuredly, I do. 

Wilson. — Do you believe there is one Lord, Jesus 
Christ, by whom are all things and we by him, and that 
this Jesus is the Son of God ? 

Baptist. — Yes, I believe he is, and that he is the Eter- 
nal Son of God. 

Wilson. — Hold, my dear sir ; you must take that back. 
The Bible does not say he is the ''Eternal" Son. 

Baptist. — Well, I will take it back. But I believe he 
is co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal with the Father. 



200 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Wilson. — Hold, my friend; you mast take that back 
also. 

Baptist. — No, sir; I will not take back every thing I 
say. 

Wilson. — The congregation will bear witness that you 
said you believe all the Bible says of Christ, and no 
more; and the Bible nowhere says he is co-equal, co- 
essential, or co-eternal with the Father. 

Baptist. — Well, then, I will take it back. 

Thus he proceeded until they agreed as to Christ. He 
then questioned the candid preacher, in the same manner, 
relative to the operation of the Holy Spirit, and the de- 
sign of baptism. When they had agreed upon these sub- 
jects also, Elder Wilson, having obtained from the preacher 
his Confession of Faith, turned to the passage which 
affirms that none but General Baptists have a right to the 
Lord's table, *' Here," said he, ^' is one thing which is 
not in my book ;" and turning on through, he said, " Here 
is another thing, and here another." The astonished 
preacher looked at all the passages, and solemnly declared 
that he would no longer be governed by such a Confes- 
sion. By this time the clouds, as well as some theologi- 
cal fog, had disappeared ; the company separated in per- 
fect good feeling ; and in a short time the Baptist preacher 
and all his flock exchanged their human for the divine 
creed. 

Since 1852 he has preached for various churches in 
Warrick, Pike, Knox, Sullivan, Yigo, Clay, Owen, Greene, 
Lawrence, Martin, and Daviess counties, Indiana ; and 
Lawrence and Clarke counties, Illinois. All these coun- 
ties he has visited annually ; his plan having been to hold 
a protracted meeting each year in every congregation. 
These meetings are often appointed a year in advance, 
and are anxiously expected. When the '' good time com- 
ing" arrives, the brethren flock in from great distances. 



JOSEPH WILSON. 201 

They enjoy a pleasant reunion ; and have emphatically a 
'' big" meeting, which not unfrequently closes with from 
twenty-five to fifty additions to ''the saved.'' 

Thus he continues to this day ; throughout south-west- 
ern Indiana '' witnessing both to small and great, saying 
none other things than those which Moses and the pro- 
phets did say should come." 

It is Yiow thirty -seven years since he began to turn men 
to righteousness. During this time he has organized some 
forty churches, and introduced about two thousand per- 
sons into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Nor has he 
only introduced them — he has also, like '' a good minister 
of Jesus Christ," put the brethren in remembrance of their 
religious duties, and nourished them up in the words of 
faith and sound doctrine. 

If, in point of that intellectual power which is acquired 
by education, he has received only one talent, this one 
he has not "• digged in the earth" and hid, like many who 
employ the most splendid endowments in groveling and 
covetous pursuits. To him will the Master say, when he 
comes to reckon, ''Well done, good and faithful servant; 
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee 
ruler over many things." 



Such, briefly, is the history of Elder Joseph Wilson ; 
the following is, still more briefly, the man himself. He 
is about five feet ten inches high, and weighs about one 
hundred and sixty pounds. He was blessed by nature 
with such an excellent constitution that, despite the ex- 
posure to which his profession has subjected him, he has 
enjoyed through life almost uninterrupted health. 

His head forces, especially memory, are very good ; 
but the heart forces predominate. It is by his goodness, 
rather than his greatness, that he influences the people. 
His example is more potent than his precepts. 

At home he is kind, provident, hospitable — ardently 



202 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

attached to his family and to his frieDds. To the reli- 
gious training of his children — of whom he has -ten — he 
was very attentive ; and he has lived to see them all 
become obedient to the gospel. 

In the social circle, he is agreeable, but rather disposed 
to be grave ; seldom, if ever, indulging in '' foolish jesting, 
which is not convenient.'' He knows but little of the 
requirements of polite society ; but his pure heart is 
deeply imbued with that charity which " doth not behave 
itself unseemly." 

In the pulpit, his manner is direct, unpretending, and 
somewhat peculiar. When he rises to preach he spreads 
the open Bible tenderly before him ; elevates his open 
hands, with palms down, until each arm forms a right 
angle at the elbow, and says, " Let us read a portion of 
the word of the Lord." He then repeats from memory 
one, two, or three chapters, as may suit bis purpose, and 
proceeds in a cursory manner to expatiate upon the more 
important portions of his text. His language is neither 
elegant nor chaste ; his words being often in the wrong 
mood and tense, but always from the heart. His delivery 
is slow at first, but toward the close quite animated. In 
argument he is not weak ; in exhortation he is decidedly 
strong. His favorite theme is Union, and his greatest 
conquests have been in that direction.. 

In the church he has always been beloved as a brother. 
He is now looked upon as a father in Israel, in whom 
there is no guile ; and whenever, in his annual round, he 
departs from a congregation, there is no little sorrowing 
lest they may see his face no more. 

It will not be long until these fears are realized. Hav- 
ing well nigh completed his sixty-sixth year, the time of 
his departure cannot be far distant ; but he is ready to 
be offered up, knowing that there is 'Maid up for him a 
crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous 
Judge, will give him in that day." 



F. W. EMMONS 



-<#K 



Francis Whitefield, the eldest son of Horatio and 
Abigail Emmons, was born February 24th, 1802, at 
Clarendon, Yt., which was also the birthplace of his 
mother. His father was born at Cornwall, Conn. His 
grandfather, Solomon, was also a native of Connecticut, 
and a son of Woodruff Emmons, who was born on the 
Atlantic ocean while his parents were making the passage 
from England to America, about the year 1^20. Wood- 
ruff was a son — perhaps the second — of William Emmons, 
a native of Great Britain, and the eldest son of Carolus 
Emmons, who, according to tradition and a coat of arms, 
(a faC'Simile of which is now in the possession of Francis 
W.,) was a general under William and Mary, by whom 
he was knighted about the year 1690 for ^'five victorious 
battles in the field of blood." 

Solomon Emmons was an officer in the Revolution of 
'Y6 ; and Horatio served from near the beginning to the 
close of the war of 1812. From time immemorial the 
family seem to have been a warlike and long-lived people. 

Abigail, the mother of Francis W., was the youngest 
daughter of Whitefield Foster, who was the son of Benja- 
min Foster, a native of England. In religion the Fosters 
were Universalists ; in politics they were Federalists. 

When his father entered the army, Francis W., then a 
wild youth of eleven summers, went to reside with an 
uncle, Daniel Smith, at Sheldon, Yt. There he was 
measurably tamed by being subjected to hard labor on a 
farm. 

203 



204 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

His uncle Daniel was a staunch Federalist, and bitterly 
opposed to the war ; so also was his father, Elihu Smith. 
Daniel gave aid and comfort to the enemy by smuggling 
cattle into Canada, in which business Francis W. assisted 
most reluctantly ; and when the roar of the battle of 
Plattsburg (in which Francis' father was engaged) was 
heard at Sheldon, old Elihu, a devout (?) Presbyterian, 
prayed most fervently for the success of the British. But 
notwithstanding these evil associations, young Emmons 
remained a firm Democrat, or Republican, as were his 
father and grandfather before him. 

Returning to Swanton in 1815, he spent a portion of 
his time in school, and a portion in laboring for the sup- 
port of his mother and her family, who resided at that 
place. 

On the 1th of April, 1816, he and his mother made a 
public profession of faith in Christ, were immersed, and 
united with the Baptist church at Swanton. 

The next year he became a clerk in the store of A. & 
C. Harmon, Burlington, Yt., in which position he re- 
mained a year and a half. Feeling that it was his duty 
to preach the gospel, he, at the expiration of that time, 
returned to Swanton to make arrangements for qualifying 
himself for his high calling by a further improvement of 
his education. 

In the prosecution of this design, he had to struggle 
against strong opposition both at home and in the church. 
His brethren were free to declare that they did not believe 
he ever could preach ; while his mother's advice was, 
^'Be any thing hut a poor Baptist preacher.''^ Finally, 
however, she consented that he might follow his own 
convictions of duty, and bestowed upon him, departing, 
her choicest blessing. 

His first remove was to Georgia, Yt., where he at- 
tended a good school during the Summer of 1819. The 



r. W. EMMONS. 205 

ensuing Winter — being then eighteen years of age — he 
taught school for four months near Plattsburg, N. Y., 
after which he again returned to Swanton. 

In the Spring of 1821, with only twenty-five cents in 
his pocket, he once more bade adieu to the loved ones at 
home ; and, with a staff in one hand and a little bundle 
of clothes in the other, started off to go — he knew not 
whither. His first thought was to direct his steps to 
Phillips Academy, at Andover, Mass. ; but, with the 
advice of some well-informed friends, he changed his 
purpose, and entered the Baptist Literary and Theologi- 
cal Seminary, at Hamilton, N. Y. 

There he united with the Second Baptist church, by 
which he was licensed to preach. There he also went 
through the regular course of studies, requiring three 
years, defraying his expenses by serving as librarian, or 
at whatever else his hand could find to do. Among his 
classmates were Jacob Knapp and Pharcellus Church ; 
the latter of whom was his bosom friend and chum; and 
both of whom have become distinguished Baptist minis- 
ters. At the same time Jonathan Wade and Eugenio 
Kincaid, now missionaries to Burmah, and John Newton 
Brown, D. D., the compiler of the "Encyclopedia of 
Religious Knowledge," were also students of that insti- 
tution. 

Having completed the course at Hamilton, which it 
seems was chiefly theological, he repaired, in 1824, to 
Columbian College, D. C, and there devoted himself to 
studies more purely literary in their character. Entering 
the Preparatory, he passed regularly through the Fresh- 
man, Sophomore, and part of the Junior years, paying 
his way by ringing the bell, acting as college postmaster, 
and, in a word, by consenting to be a kind of academic 
factotum. 

While a Sophomore, he edited, for a short time, '' The 
18 



206 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Columbian Star," to which paper he made frequent con- 
tributions during his connection with that institution. 

During the Summer of 1826 he served as a missionary 
under the direction of a Female Missionary Society at 
Richmond, Ya, Furnished by them with an old horse, 
very like Don Quixote's '' Rosinante," and also with a 
letter of commendation from their Secretary, (Mrs. Jane 
Keeling), he set out to preach the way of life and salva- 
tion — first in the vicinity of Richmond, then in the regions 
beyond. the Blue Ridge. 

On account of certain financial embarrassments Colum- 
bian College was closed in the Spring of 1827 ; at which 
time Mr. Emmons entered Brown University, at Provi- 
dence, R. I. He was graduated at this institution in 
September, 1828. 

Soon after his graduation he accepted a pressing call 
to supply, for a few weeks, the pulpit of the first Baptist 
church at Eastport, Maine. Before the period of his 
first engagement expired he was again employed for six 
months ; and before the expiration of this time, he was 
permanently settled as their pastor, being ordained as 
such in the first Baptist church at Providence, R. I., in 
May, 1829. 

On the 31st of August following he was married to 
Mary Ann H., eldest daughter of Rev. Zenas L. Leonard, 
of Sturbridge, Mass. 

A year or two prior to this event, he became a reader 
of the '' Christian Baptist." Its searching expositions, en- 
forced by the unsatisfactory fruits of his own ministry, 
greatly weakened his faith in the gospel he was then 
preaching. On this account he became much dejected. 
He fasted, prayed, and spent much of his time in solitude. 
His health finally failing, he resigned his pastoral charge 
on the 31st of December, 1829, and soon after returned 
with his wife to her paternal home in Massachusetts. 



p. W. EMMONS. 207 

In the Spring of 1830, having partially recovered his 
health, he opened a school in the old Academy at Killing- 
worth, Conn. On Lord's days a little congregation of 
Baptists met together in the Academy, for whom he 
preached gratuitously as long as they were disposed to 
hear. This, however, was not very long ; for as he 
received and read the Millennial Harbinger, it was soon 
whispered about that he was a ^' Campbellite,'' and that 
his influence in both the pulpit and the school-room was 
extremely dangerous. Therefore the ears of the Baptists 
grew '' dull of hearing ;" and both they and the Congre- 
gationalists withdrew their support from his school. By 
this means the number of his pupils was reduced to four 
or live, and these were the children of Universalists or 
Infidels. 

In the Summer of this year, leaving his school in charge 
of Mrs. Emmons, he made a tour to Bethany, Ya., where 
he formed the personal acquaintance of Alexander Camp- 
bell, with whom he spent several days most pleasantly 
and profitably. 

Leaving Bethany, he returned by way of New Lisbon, 
Ohio ; to which place he removed with his family in the 
Spring of 1831. Here he opened a school, which was 
well patronized — the doctrine of the Reformation being 
more popular than at Killingworth. Indeed, the Baptist 
church at this place claimed to be reformed ; but it was 
still so far from the ancient order that neither he nor any 
of his family united with it. 

While residing at New Lisbon, and at the request of 
Elder A. Campbell, he carefully examined his (Campbell's) 
second edition of the New Testament, comparing it with 
the common version and with the original Greek ; and 
communicated to him many valuable notes, emendations, 
and suggestions for an improved version. His services 
in this particular were acknowledged by Mr. Campbell in 



208 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

the preface to the fourth edition, and also in the preface 
to the Family Testament. 

In the Spring of 1832 he removed to Wellsburg, Ya., 
where he took charge of Brooke Academy. There he 
found a genuine Christian church, with which he united, 
and in which he became a shining light, holding forth the 
word of life. There too his health again failed, and it was 
feared that Consumption had marked him for his victim. 
But it pleased God that he should not then die ; and after 
a brief season of rest he was again ready for the Master's 
service. 

In December 1833 he and his family came to Madison, 
Indiana, on a visit to Mr. George Leonard, an uncle of 
Mrs. Emmons. Soon after their arrival Mrs. Leonard 
died ; and Mrs. Emmons, at the request of her uncle, en- 
tered into the mother's place, and for nearly a year took 
the oversight of his children with her own. During this 
period Mr. Emmons visited many portions of Indiana, 
having then no other occupation than the preaching of 
the word. 

In the Spring of 1834 his brother William A. came 
also to Madison, and they two went off together into the 
interior of the State, in search of a suitable place to which 
to remove their families. They finally fixed upon Nobles- 
ville, in Hamilton county, twenty miles north of Indian- 
apolis. Thither they removed in the Fall of that year, 
arriving there on the 30th of November. 

Elder Emmons immediately secured a District school, 
which he taught during the winter of 1834-5, in the old 
log school-house at Noblesville. He labored also ** in 
word and doctrine ;" and through his influence two little 
churches, a Baptist and a Christian, became one, being 
united on the Bible alone. 

In ministering to this church while it remained weak 
and persecuted, he passed some of the happiest days of his 



F. W. EMMONS. 209 

life. But in process of time false brethren were brought 
in unawares ; roots of bitterness sprang up among them ; 
and the spirit of strife and contention supplanted the 
spirit of love and forbearance. There was '' that woman 
Jezebel;" and there too were " Hymeneus and Alexan- 
der." On account of these ''debates, envjings, wraths, 
strifes, backbitings," etc., all of which grew out of some 
difference of opinion relative to the organization, order, 
and discipline of the churches, Elder Emmons asked and 
obtained a letter of dismission from that congregation, 
which action placed him, religiously, precisely where he 
stood on coming West. 

" After this amicable separation from the church at 
Noblesville," writes one who knew him in that day, '' he 
remained several years a resident there, travelling pretty 
extensively through the State and the northwest, including 
Kentucky. Though a member of no particular congre- 
gation he still ranked and passed as a brother and preacher 
among us: attended all our State and most of our District 
and County Co-operation meetings, of which he was fre- 
quently secretary." 

During all this period his mind remained uncorrupted 
''from the simplicity that is in Christ." He discarded all 
human appliances for the conversion of sinners ; and 
taught the people to observe all and only those things 
which the Lord has commanded. 

In the Winter of 1836 he was appointed by the Senate 
of the Indiana Legislature to report the proceedings of 
that body, for publication in the newspapers. By his pen 
the public were kept thoroughly posted with regard to 
the great system of internal improvements, which was, 
that Winter, discussed and adopted. 

At Cincinnati, in the Winter of 1837, he was associ- 
ated with E. P. Cranch, Esq., in taking down and writing 



^1.0 PIONEEE PREACHERS. 

out for publication the Debate between Campbell and 
Purcell, on the Roman Catholic Religion. 

In the same year he published *' The Yoice, or An 
Essay to Extend the Reformation" — a little 18mo volume 
of 252 pages. 

In the Winter of 1838 he had a spirited little contro- 
versy with a young Methodist itinerant, by the name of 
Berry — subsequently the '' Rev. Lucien W. Berry, D. D., 
President of the Indiana Asbury University." Some 
letters passed between them, which were published by 
Mr. Emmons in a pamphlet of thirty-six pages, with 
''Marks and Remarks." This elicited from Mr. Berry a 
pamphlet of forty pages, titled, " The Deformer Reformed, 
or Corruption Exposed." This was responded to in 
another little pamphlet of sixty pages, titled, '' The After- 
clap — Showing the Origin of the Corruption," etc., etc. 
No reply was elicited ; so here the warfare ended. 

In the Eall of 1842, Elder Emmons returned to New 
England ; and in the absence of a Christian congrega- 
tion, and at the urgent solicitation of some of his early 
friends, he soon after united with the First Baptist church 
in Boston, which church was then under the pastoral 
charge of Dr. R. H. Neale, his old friend and fellow- 
student at Columbian College. 

On account of this return to the Baptists, after " having 
tasted the good word of God," he has been regarded by 
many as vacillating — as a double-minded man, unstable 
in all his religious ways. But the facts, when properly 
understood, hardly justify such a conclusion. It is 
perhaps nearer the truth to say that his unfortunate diffi- 
culties with the brethren at Noblesville ; his strong at- 
tachment to those Baptists who were the friends and 
companions of his youth ; and the fact that on his return 
to the East, he found no congregation of Disciples with 
whom he could conveniently woiship ; — induced him to 



F. W, EMMONS. 211 

renew his connection with a church to which (though 
containing many pious and devoted people) the Lord 
cannot say, as to the church at Pergamos, '' Thou holdest 
fast my name, and hast not denied my faith." 

The last fact — that there was no congregation of Dis- 
ciples convenient — will have little weight with those who 
remember the words of the indomitable Roman who said, 
Vmm aut veniam, aut faciam. — " I will either find a way, 
or make a way." These will think that Elder Emmons 
ought to have found a Christian church or built up one; 
but they must not charge him too hastily with unfaithful- 
ness. His fault seems to have been, chiefly, lack of 
energy — ''the very head and front of his offending hath 
this extent, no more." That he has not denied the faith 
is clearly established by indubitable testimony. 

In a letter to J. M. Mathes, he himself says, '' In unit- 
ing as I did with the First Baptist church in Boston, in 
1843, I renounced no Reformation principle that I ever 
held.^^ The pastor of that church. Dr. Neale, says of him : 
''His reception into my church was owing. to my know- 
ledge of his character as a Christian, and not to any sym- 
pathy with the peculiar speculative notions in which it 
was somewhat natural for him to indulge." "For these 
'peculiar notions,' and 'theological speculations'" — says 
Elder E. in his letter to Elder Mathes — " or for the faith 
and teaching contained in them, has my name been cast 
out as evil. I have been looked upon as a speckled bird, 
having had no call, and no pastoi^al charge in any Baptist 
church since 1830. * * * So, for my Reformation princi- 
ples — nicknamed ' Campbellism' — for their avowal and 
advocacy, I have been, still am, and expect to be a living 
martyr. " 

He acknowledges no creed but the Bible ; preaches no 
baptism but that "for the remission of sins;" employs 
his pen in support of no faith but that " once delivered 



212 PIONJ^ER PREACHERS. 

to the saints ;" and wherever in his travels he meets with 
a congregation of Disciples, with them he fraternizes, 
advocating their cause. He is still to be regarded, there- 
fore, as a Reformation preacher ; and as such his history 
is continued. 

For a short time after his return to New England, he 
supplied the pulpit of the Baptist church at Sturbridge, 
Massachusetts ; preaching also elsewhere as he had oppor- 
tunity. He sought a permanent location as pastor of 
some Baptist congregation ; but, (as already intimated,) 
owing to his connection with the Disciples out West, he 
sought in vain — for no call was given him. 

Having, while residing at Noblesville, indorsed for his 
brothers to a considerable amount, he found himself much 
involved in their debts. To extricate himself from these 
financial difficulties, he made several visits to Indiana, 
where he again preached the ^^ ancient gospel," as in 
former years. 

The Winter of 1845-6 he spent in Washington city, 
letter writing, office seeking, etc. In the following Spring 
he purchased a small farm near Globe Village, Mass., to 
which he removed with his wife and four daughters, and 
upon which he has resided ever since. 

Having studied medicine more or less, and practiced it 
in his family since 1832, he, in the Winter of 1846-T, 
attended a course of lectures at the Worcester Medical 
College, at Worcester, Mass. In 1856 the Metropolitan 
Medical College of New York city bestowed upon him a 
diploma and the honorary degree of M. D. 

In the Fall of 184Y, he was brought out on the morn- 
ing of election day, in opposition to the two regular nomi- 
nees, and elected as the Kepresentative of the town of 
Sturbridge in the next General Court. He was elected 
as a Democrat ; and so far as he had taken any part in 
politics, hitherto, he had acted with the Democratic party. 



F. W. EMMONS. 213 

But soon after taking his seat in the Legislature, some 
resolutions relative to the Mexican war were brought 
before the House. Before casting his vote he defined his 
position on the war and on slavery, in a speech which 
was pubhshed and mainly endorsed in the Boston '' True 
Whig." Since that time (1848) he has been identified 
with the Free Soil party. 

In the Legislature he distinguished himself by his zeal- 
ous and able advocacy of a more stringent Hquor law. 
He was chairman of a committee of fourteen members — 
one from each county in the State — which committee 
reported a bill corresponding in its main features with 
the Maine Liquor Law. In the discussion on this bill, 
Mr. Emmons advocated its passage in two telling speeches, 
which were printed in pamphlet form. 

The measure was at that time defeated ; but at a sub- 
sequent session it was revived and finally passed. Though 
at the time of its passage Mr. E. was not a member of the 
Ijegislature, yet his printed speeches were freely circu- 
lated in the House, and no doubt exerted a strong influ- 
ence in favor of the proposed law. 

In the Summer of this same year he attended the 
Commencement of his alma mater, Brown University ; 
and was then and there declared to be a Master of Arts. 

In the Fall of 1849 some forty members of the Emmons 
family, residents of New York, Connecticut, and Massa- 
chusetts, met in Convention at Canaan, Conn., to take 
into consideration an advertisement of a large Emmons 
estate in England for heirs in America ; which advertise- 
ment is said to have appeared in some English paper. 
By this Convention F. W. Emmons was appointed to go 
to England to look after the said estate. 

Accordingly, on the 1st of January, 1850, he embarked 
at Boston in a packet ship for Liverpool. The result of 
his efforts in quest of a fortune has not been made public; 



214 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

but it is known that he had the pleasure of visiting, at 
little expense to himself, many of the principal cities and 
important towns of England — among which were Man- 
chester, Birmingham, the old walled town of Chester, and 
the great metropolis, London. 

From the period of his return from England (May 1850) 
until 1855, he devoted the most of his time to cultivating 
and improving his little farm in Massachusetts. 

At the date last mentioned he was employed as a 
recorder in the office of Thomas Spoon er, Esq., Clerk of 
the Courts of Hamilton County, Ohio. During the last 
few years he has, perhaps, spent more time and performed 
more labor in that office than in the sacred desk. 

Ever since his return to the East he has preached less 
than in former years ; and during the whole of his minis- 
try it has been more by his pen than by his tongue that 
he has exerted a considerable influence and made himself 
widely known. In addition to the publications already 
mentioned, he has been a contributor to the Millennial 
Harbinger from its commencement until the present. 
For it he has furnished a great variety of articles — 
Journals, Essays, Letters, Sermons, Reviews, etc., etc., 
over the signatures of " F.," ''Francis," " Adolphus," 
''Philologus," ''F. W. E.," and his name in full. Articles 
from his pen have also appeared from time to time in 
other reformation periodicals — ''The Evangelist," "Chris- 
tian Preacher," "Heretic Detecter," " Journal of Chris- 
tianity," Christian Record," " American Christian Re- 
view" — and in several Baptist and other papers — reli- 
gious, 'literary, medical, and phrenological. 

Foi' the most part his articles have been of a critical, 
exegetical, or reformatory character ; and, although at 
times a little speculative, his has been in the main " a 
most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort." 

His pen still active ; his mind yet sound in a sound 



F. W. EMMONS. 215 

body ; his treasures of wisdom and knowledge increased 
rather than diminished by the liberality with which he has 
given to the world ; there is good reason to hope that, 
for years to come, he will remain " a strong pillar in the 
house of his God." 



Francis W. Emmons is five feet ten inches high. His 
weight, never over one hundred and forty pounds, is now 
less than one hundred and thirty. His dark-brown hair 
is straight and very fine ; his eyes light blue, or gray ; 
his complexion rather dark. His teeth — all sound at 
three-score — testify, by their presence and by their color, 
that he neither chews nor smokes tobacco ; while his 
keen eye and healthy glow indicate that he is ''temperate 
in all things." 

His mental organism, physical resources, leading traits 
of character, etc., are thus described by the celebrated 
phrenologist, L. N. Fowler — with the omission of a few 
particulars which are unimportant, or known to be incor- 
rect. He says : 

*' You have a very marked temperament. The nervous 
system predominates ; but you have a high degree of the 
muscular organization, which gives you an unusual amount 
of activity, restlessness, and the desire to be constantly 
employed. 

'' Your constitution is naturally tough, exceedingly so; 
and you have endured more than one in thousands. But 
the ability to manufacture vitality is not so great as the 
desire to exhaust what you have ; so that you will find it 
necessary to strictly obey the laws of life in order to 
avoid premature decay. You cannot do half you wish — 
for your spirit is ahead of your physical ability to 
perform. 

''You are characterized phrenologically for having a very 
positive and almost eccentric cast of mind. Your head 



216 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

is uneven, and the large organs are very sharply devel- 
oped, so that the mind acts with more than ordinary 
intensity. 

'^ You have an unconquerable will, and are very inde- 
pendent and self-relying. 

" You are noted for cautiousness, forethought, and for 
the desire to avoid difficulties and dangers. Whatever 
you engage iii is accomplished, as though there was much 
at stake ; you never do any thing carelessly. 

" Love of children constitutes your leading social pecu- 
liarity. You are not inclined to seek company as a 
source of enjoyment. 

*' You are noted for your intellectual abilities. You can 
attend to business that requires observation, knowledge 
of the qualities of things, and the condition of circum- 
stances ; or you can think originally and investigate new 
principles successfully. 

*' You are remarkably orderly and systematic. You 
plan out all your work, do it according to rule, and as 
well as you possibly can, the first time trying. 

''You have a very keen appreciation of wit; and enjoy 
a joke very highly — are much amused by your own mirth- 
ful emotions. 

" Your intuitive impressions of character are very cor- 
rect. Few men decide so quickly on results as you ; and 
you seldom have occasion to change your first impression. 

'' You are kind-hearted and generous in your feelings ; 
are respectful in your general intercourse with society ; 
are sanguine, enthusiastic, cheerful, buoyant, and always 
encouraged by prospects ahead. 

'* You are not a marvellous man ; but are governed by 
judgment. You do not imitate others — are a perfect 
original. 

'' You are a direct, plain, free-spoken man, and abomi 
nate hypocrisy. You can keep things to yourself by saying 



F. W. EMMONS. 217 

nothing, but if you begin to talk you are compelled to 
develop your real sentiments. You are not cruel, and are 
opposed to capital punishment, or any kind of chastise- 
ment for the purpose of gratifying a revengeful feeling. 

" You are hungry, mentally and physically ; have an 
eager, unsatisfied mind ; and the more knov^ledge you 
acquire the more anxious you are to increase your store. 

''Although money slips through your fingers easily, and 
you are not necessarily a good financier, still you have a 
strong desire to accumulate and do as much business as 
you can. 

^' You are particularly fond of the grand and sublime in 
nature ; are quite punctual in your engagements, and 
have an excellent memory of places. 

" You are distinguished, then, for intensity, activity, dis- 
tinctness, and positiveness ; for independence, will-power, 
humanity of feeling, intuition of mind, originality of 
thought, power of criticism, and love of order ; for me- 
chanical judgment, fondness for children, and love of 
home. But you need more sociability, more affability of 
manner and control over your feelings in speech, more 
executive power in the form of destructiveness, more 
spirituality and belief in the supernatural, more versatility 
of manner, freedom of speech, memory of statistics, and 
general musical ability. You will wear yourself out and 
use up your entire machinery before you get through with 
lifey 

In the above description the main features of his cha- 
racter are presented ; but some do not appear with suffi- 
cient distinctness. His love of order, for instance, deserves 
more prominence. On this point the following testimony 
was borne by A. Campbell, in the Millennial Harbinger : 
'' Our beloved brother Emmons is a great lover of good 
order, and precise on all points to a scruple ; and there- 
fore an effort for a perfect system of order comes as 
19 



218 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

naturally from him as light from the sun." On account 
of this remark Mr. Emmons wrote for a while over the 
signature, '' A Precise Brother." 

Closely allied to this and also too much in the back- 
ground is his punctuality. He is always *4n time ;" and 
in filling his preaching appointments, if permitted to fol- 
low his own inclinations, he speaks at the appointed hour 
whether the congregation is present or absent. This dis- 
position he once gratified in a remarkable manner, while 
on his missionary tour through ^' the hill country" of the 
Old Dominion. 

The attendance upon his ministrations was often very 
meagre ; but one day he arrived at a little dilapidated 
church in advance of every one else. The appointment 
was for twelve, M. ; and when the hour came — though 
not a soul was present save himself — he sang a hymn, 
prayed, and proceeded to preach from Heb. ii. 3 : " How 
shall tve escape if we neglect so great salvation /" When 
about half through his discourse two women entered, 
looked round in amazement, sat down for a few moments, 
then arose and departed. The preacher continued to the 
final amen; and having penciled upon the pulpit the day, 
the month, the year, and the text^ he and his bony steed, 

*^ Witli wandering steps and slow, 

Through. Eden took their solitary way.'* 

" Your language is not sufficient for the fluent expres- 
sion of your ideas," says the phrenologist; and the 
remark might be verified by a number of witnesses. 
Dr. Neale of Boston says of him : *' He is not a popular 
preacher. He has not the gift of extemporaneous utter- 
ance. The pen is obviously his forte. He is fond of 
essays and theological disquisitions ; and his written 
compositions are usually clear, vigorous, and to the 
point." 



F. W. EMMONS. 219 

He himself understands that he is, like Moses, ^' slow 
of speech and of a slow tongue." Therefore it has been 
his habit to read his discourses ; and when he appears 
before a strange audience he pleasantly introduces his 
manuscript as his '' brother Aaron.'' 

Take him all in all, he is an amiable Christian gentle- 
man ; " tender and well beloved in the sight of all his 
brethren." His early friend. Dr. Neale, but spoke the 
sentiments of many in the following words, with which 
we close this biography. He says : 

" I love to think of him — not as a theologian, preacher, 
or writer, but as 'brother Emmons' of Columbian College 
days. I see him now, taking his walk with cane and 
umbrella, in rain or sunshine, his hat over on the back 
side of his head. He generally preferred to walk alone ; 
but if a friend was with him the conversation would be 
on some religious or literary topic — the lesson of the day 
or the meaning of a difficult passage of Scripture. He 
never indulged in petty scandal. 

" I could say much more in praise of my friend Emmons , 
but he is — I rejoice to know — still living; and I trust the 
day is far distant when it will be proper to speak with 
the freedom usually indulged in reference to departed 
worth. " 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR 



-MN- 



Yery many persons are under the impression that the 
subject of this sketch is a native of Germany. This im- 
pression is incorrect. He was born in York county, Penn- 
sylvania, on the 9th of December, 1803 ; and has never 
so much as stood upon transatlantic soil. His American 
ancestors, nearly a century before his birth, came from 
the vicinity of Strasburg on the Rhine ; and their ances- 
try had in them more of the French than of the German 
element. The immigrants to America, having settled in 
a community totally German, in time lost the French 
characteristics, as also the language ; and at the time of 
his birth they spoke only American German. 

Samuel K. was the oldest of six children ; and in his 
fourteenth year he lost his kind father, who was in prin- 
ciple a Mennonite, though a member of no church. His 
mother was a Lutheran after '' the straitest sect," con- 
scientious in what she believed to be the will of God. 
Though a firm believer in Infant Rantism, she did not 
insist upon the sprinkling of her children, in opposition 
to the views of her husband, who regarded it as a relic 
of Popery. The neglect of this rite, however, did not 
prevent her from imparting to her first-born early religious 
instruction. On the contrary, w^henever she had an op- 
portunity, she would relate to him gospel facts, and teach 
him short, impressive prayers. On all proper occasions 
she took him to the house of God, and never failed to put 
into his pocket a copper for the congregational treasury — 
220 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 221 

thus teaching him to practice Christian liberality, a lesson 
he has never forgotten. 

At the death of his father, who left considerable pro- 
perty, he was placed under the control of a guardian — in 
this, as in many other instances, a palpable misnomer. 
By this high-minded (?) guardian he was, for several 
years, hired out on a farm at very low wages ; for, owing 
to the density of the population, and the consequent 
slight demand for laborers, he, at the age of sixteen, could 
obtain only four dollars a month for his services. 

His residence among strangers as a hireling was not 
by any means favorable to the development of either his 
moral or intellectual endowments. He went to school 
but little, and as he had greater fondness for extracting 
the finny tribes from their element and opossums from 
their retreats, than for extracting ideas from books, he 
spent the most of his time in the first-named employments ; 
nor did his views of the sanctity of the Sabbath at all 
interfere with such pursuits even on that day. Under 
such circumstances, his progress was so slow that at the 
close of his sixteenth year he had not quite reached the 
*' rule of three," which, in that day, was generally regarded 
as the icltima thule — the last island — in the ocean of 
scientific truth. 

About this time his guardian and relatives concluded 
that he ought to learn a trade ; and he was required to 
make choice of his pursuit. To him the county in which 
he lived was the world ; so with his limited vision he 
surveyed hastily the several employments of his neigh- 
bors, and decided in favor of the tanning business! It 
was accordingly arranged that he should be indentured to 
learn the trade of his choice, at the beginning of the year 
1820. But what a trifling incident often changes the 
direction of human life, and conducts to a different destiny 
the immortal soul ! 



222 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

During the summer of 1819, he was hired to the owner 
of a large grist mill, in which he was usually employed 
on such days as were unfavorable for outdoor pursuits. 
The proprietor of this establishment was a better miller 
than bookkeeper; and, as his employee could write a 
legible hand and repeat the table for dry measure, he set 
him to posting his accounts, which work was satisfac- 
torily performed. 

In the Fall of that year the citizens expressed great 
apprehensions that they should be without a school the 
ensuing Winter ; for the old Swiss gentleman, who, for 
years, had been wont to teach in the Winter, and in the 
Summer go into parts unknown, mending old clocks and 
soldering leaky tinware, had not returned at his usual 
period — 

** One morn they miss'd him on the accnstom'd hill, 
Along the heath and near his favorite tree.'' 

As the mill was the rendezvous of the leading minds of 
the community, their apprehensions were often expressed 
in the hearing of the miller, who one day found means to 
quiet their fears : said he, *' Here is Sammy Hoshour, 
who can write a pretty good hand, can multiply and 
divide, and reduce pints to bushels : he can control the 
small ones, and if larger ones will not obey let them be 
kept at home. This proposition pleased many, but some 
doubted. However, necessity and the miller's influence 
invested him with the birch, the symbol of school-room 
authority in that day. He was then seventeen years 
old ; the community was purely German ; and he knew 
no English save a few sentences gathered, from Yankee 
tin-peddlers. Contrary to his own expectations and those 
of the doubting ones, his didactic administration was a 
success, and gave general satisfaction. 

It was expected that, at the close of the term, he would 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 223 

relinquish the birch and enter upon his apprenticeship ; 
but when the time arrived he had forty dollars in his 
pocket, a spirit of inquiry had been awakened in his 
mind, and he had caught the scent of something more 
agreeable than a tannery. He therefore changed his for- 
mer purpose, with the consent of his guardian, and deter- 
mined to procure, with the proceeds of his school, some 
further scholastic attainments. 

This resolution, though he knew it not, was an import- 
ant step in his life — it was the beginning of his literary 
career. He soon after entered, for the first time, an 
English school, being then a stalwart, awkward, and ver- 
dant rustic. His first recitation was so unique and so 
germanic that it subverted the gravity of both teacher 
and pupils. Yet, submitting with stoical indifference to 
these slight discourtesies, he remained in the school until 
he obtained a fair knowledge of arithmetic, and a slight 
acquaintance with the nonsense, as he supposed, of English 
grammar. His money being exhausted, he returned for 
awhile to the plow; and on the approach of winter he 
entered upon his second administration as teacher. 

In his eighteenth year he united with the Lutheran 
church. Soon after this event, a copy of Pilgrim's Pro- 
gress fell into his hands, which was the first book he ever 
read through. Besides the religious influence it exerted 
upon him, it stimulated his desire of knowledge. Believ- 
ing that sacred knowledge was best of all, and that the 
Christian ministry was the repository of it, he greatly 
desired the requisite qualifications for entering into that 
vocation. 

His guardian, being a Mennonite, and opposed to a 
learned ministry, refused to furnish him with the means 
of further educating himself; but a wealthy maternal 
uncle, who was a staunch Lutheran, consented to supply 
him with money until he should possess his patrimony. 



224 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

He then entered an English classical school of high repute 
at York, Pa. His highest aspiration at that time was to 
become a good German preacher. The idea of ever ad- 
dressing English audiences had not yet entered his head. 

But Enghsh declamations were required in the school, 
and when his day came all the pupils were eager to hear 
the ''Dutchman." Having determined to make up in 
spirit and sound what he lacked in orthoepy and inflec- 
tion, his speech was well received ; and as he passed out 
the Professor encouragingly predicted that, by proper 
effort, he would become a good English speaker. From 
that moment he sought to become English, and with such 
success that one cannot now detect the slightest German 
accent in his pronunciation. 

In this Institution he completed about an equivalent to 
the regular college course to the close of the sophomore 
year. Here, too, by excessive study, he so seriously im- 
paired his health, that his advisers urged him to change 
his location. Accordingly he repaired to the Theological 
Institute at JS'ew Market, Virginia, then under the control 
of Prof. S. S. Schmucker. By more temperate study, 
by frequent exercise in the rugged sections of that coun- 
try, and by a free use of the mineral waters of that region, 
he partially recuperated his overtaxed powers, and was 
enabled to complete the course of study there pursued, 
which course embraced the collegiate studies of the junior 
and senior years, in connection with theology — theology, 
not according to the Bible, but according to the standards 
of the Lutheran church. 

At this time the Principal, Prof. Schmucker, was 
elected Professor of Theology in the Theological Semi- 
nary at Gettysburg, Pa. Besides his duties in the Insti- 
tute at New Market, the Professor had served three small 
congregations as their pastor. His flocks were so much 
attached to him that they refused to let him go, unless he 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 225 

would first provide an acceptable substitute. As it was 
necessary, in this pastorate, to officiate in both English 
and German, and as no other of the many students could 
do this so well as Elder Hoshour, he was nominated and 
received as the successor of Professor Schmucker. 

In the same year, 1826, he was married to Miss Lucinda 
Savage, daughter of Jacob Savage, Esq., of [N'ew Market, 
Ya. 

Tenacious of the traditions of his theological fathers, 
fally impressed with the greatness of the Lutheran church, 
and not a little inflated by the fact that he had been 
counted worthy to wear the mantle of his preceptor, he 
entered upon his clerical duties with great zeal for God, 
though with very little knowledge of His word. In the 
pulpit he was not always mindful of Paul's admonition 
''to speak the things that become sound doctrine.'' Like 
too many young preachers he estimated the value of his 
preaching, not by the number of correct and lasting im- 
pressions made on the minds and hearts of his hearers, 
but rather by the excitement they manifested, and the 
quantity of tears they shed. Hence, in the preparation 
of his sermons, he collected all that was terrible in the 
domain of fear, and all that was touching in the realms 
of love and suffering. Then, as now, this style of preach- 
ing was popular ; and, like Ezekiel, he was to the people 
'' as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, 
and can play well on an instrument." 

His fame soon extended eastward ; and, in 1828, he 
received and accepted a call from a congregation in Wash- 
ington county, Maryland. In this place, also, he was 
popular among all sorts and classes. Such, indeed, be- 
came his reputation, that in about two years he was 
invited to follow his old preceptor, and take charge of the 
congregation at Gettysburg, Pa., the seat of Pennsylvania 
College, and also of the Theological Seminary of the 



226 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

General Synod of the Lutheran Church. But his Mary- 
land charge so heartily remonstrated against his removal 
that he consented to stay with them. 

His pastorate was about eight miles from Hagerstown, 
the county seat, in which there were at that time about 
five thousand inhabitants, among whom Lutheranism was 
the predominant religion. Among others was a large and 
influential congregation which had been for years under 
the pastoral care of Dr. B. Kurtz. Owing to his prox- 
imity to this place, Elder Hoshour frequently occupied 
the Doctor's splendid pulpit, and so acceptable were his 
ministrations that, in 1831, he became their pastor, Dr. 
Kurtz having been called to another field of labor. 

In his stipulations with the " CounciP' relative to his 
pastoral duties, there was one feature that greatly assisted 
him to become a heretic — if indeed he is one. It was 
made a part of his duty to lecture each Wednesday even- 
ing on the Holy Scriptures ; and, in order to fulfill this 
part of his engagement, he was compelled to study the 
Scriptures in their proper connection. This he had never 
done before, though he had been preaching for five years ; 
for, in the theological seminary, he had taken the regular 
course prescribed in such institutions — that is, to study 
human dissertations upon theology, church history^ the 
art of sermonizing, etc., and to examine the Bible only as 
referred to by the standards of the particular sect ! But 
in performing this new duty, he entered into the school 
of Apostles and Prophets. He began lecturing al'ternately 
on Matthew and the Acts of the Apostles, expounding 
the doctrine in the light of the context, and giving copious 
geographical delineations, accompanied by the history of 
places and events. Proceeding in this way, it was not 
long till he entertained the opinion that the religion of 
the Bible was very difi*erent from that in popular repute. 
He perceived that the former was sober, solid, a matter 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 22t 

of principle ; while the latter was full of excitement, 
vapory, and not a little unscrupulous. He became daily 
more enamored of the ancient gospel, and less confident 
in the popular theology ; more desirous of the sincere 
milk of the word, and less concerned about the tenets of 
his church. His preaching grew more and more evan- 
gelical, and soon the light of the great Luther was almost 
lost in the brighter effulgence of the Apostle Paul. 

In preparing the last class of catechumens for " con- 
firmation, '^ he used the catechism very sparingly, but 
required them to commit to memory large portions of the 
New Testament. On the day of confirmation he did not 
use the liturgical form, but confined the ceremony to the 
24th verse of the 16th chapter of Matthew, the import of 
which he had previously explained to the candidates. 
This departure from the usages of the Lutheran fathers 
met no opposition, such confidence had the congregation 
in the knowledge and integrity of their pastor. 

In his further investigations of the Scriptures he began 
to call in question of the consequences ascribed to the fall 
of Adam, and especially did he become intolerant of the 
Calvinistic view of that subject. The ability or inability 
of the sinner was a subject upon which he bestowed much 
thought. 

While reflecting upon this subject he made a visit to 
his father-in-law's, at New Market, Ya., where there came 
into his hands, one day, three numbers of the Christian 
Baptist. Of the editor, Alexander Campbell, he at that 
time knew but little, nor was he by any means favorable 
to the views of the Baptists. Yet he glanced at some of 
the articles, and was better pleased than he anticipated 
with both the style and the matter. One article especially, 
on The Natural Man, (I. Cor. 2,) he read with no com- 
mon interest, for the thoughts therein expressed were very 
similar to some that had flitted through his own mind. 



228 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

In a few weeks he returned to Hagerstown, and resumed 
the regular routine of his pastoral duties, but still that 
article on the Natural Man, like the ghost of murdered 
Banquo, continually confronted him. 

Thus matters went on till the Spring of 1834, when an 
event took place which wrought a change in his views of 
Baptism and in the aspects of his whole future life. About 
six miles from Hagerstown was a densely populated re- 
gion called Beaver Creek, rich in things material, but poor 
in things spiritual. A large school-house was the usual 
place of preaching, and prior appointments took the lead 
in its accommodations. Most of the different sects had 
a few adherents in that region, who occasionally pro- 
cured the services of their respective ministers. Elder 
Hoshour frequently preached to them the Lutheran gospel; 
Methodists, Episcopalians, United Brethren, and Tunkers 
also visited them ; but none were successful in making 
proselytes. 

In the Spring of 1834, an unexpected religious commotion 
occurred in the Beaver Creek region. A new preacher 
made his appearance, dauntlessly advocating views that 
negatived a great amount of the previous preaching at 
that point. He called himself a disciple of Christ, but as 
he distributed copies of the Millennial Harbinger, the sects 
called him a Campbellite. He soon made an impression 
upon some minds that had hitherto been regarded as im- 
pregnable. His very success created great opposition, yet 
with Peter's boldness he continued to proclaim the ancient 
gospel without much deference to the religious leaders 
of the day, whom he hesitated not to challenge to the 
defense of their tottering systems. " The common people 
heard him gladly," and he was not long in making prose- 
lytes to " the ancient order. " Persons of superior standing 
in the community, who, the clergy supposed, never would 
consent to be ''dipped," did submit to immersion, evincing 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 229 

unmistakable sincerity in their profession of the Christian 
faith. In a few months over forty persons were immersed, 
and an active church established at Beaver Creek, on the 
foundation of the Apostles and Prophets. 

The fame of this preacher spread far and wide, but as 
he was regarded by the orthodox as an arch heretic, Elder 
Hoshour in his clerical dignity would not honor ''such a 
fellow" with a hearing. But he listened to the accounts 
given of him by others, and when informed that the 
preacher taught that all spiritual influence, in order to 
conversion, is exerted through the word, he would pleas- 
antly observe : " He is for all word, the Methodists for 
all Spirit — both extremists — but we Lutherans occupy the 
middle and true ground, contending for both word and 
Spirit " 

There was at this time a Lutheran brother with whom 
Elder Hoshour had lived in fraternal intimacy for several 
years. He had been " converted" at a great Lutheran 
revival, and had spent considerable time in preparing 
himself for the ministry ; but being, like Moses, '' slow 
of speech," he devoted himself to teaching. While the 
revival was progressing at Beaver Creek he became the 
teacher in the spacious school-house in which the meeting 
was held. He therefore almost necessarily became a 
hearer of the new heresy. Having formerly been a 
boarder in the house of Elder Hoshour, and being much 
attached to him, he often visited him at his parsonage 
in Hagerstown. In the course of one of their interviews 
the pastor asked him how the Campbellites were pro- 
gressing. He replied that they were still immersing 
some ; '' and," said he, " I tell you there is more truth 
than poetry about those people after all. I have learned 
more from them about the order in which the Scriptures 
should be read ; more about their proper divisions and 
the special object of each division, than our ministers of 
20 



230 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

systematic theology ever taught us. I say this," con- 
tinued he, ^^ with all deference to you. I have enjoyed 
your ministrations ; but the theory to which you are wed 
will not permit you to represent matters as those people 
do." ''Ah!" said the Reverend Mr. Hoshour, "I fear 
you are almost persuaded to be a Campbellite." "' No 
matter," replied the other, "■ I intend to honor and obey 
the Saviour as I understand him in his word." 

Thus ended their interview, and ere long the pastor 
heard that his friend had been immersed, and had become 
an ardent advocate of the ancient gospel. Ln a short 
time the apostate — for so. he was regarded by the ortho- 
dox — made a second visit to his friend Hoshour, who 
asked him his reasons for leaving the Lutheran Church. 
Among other reasons assigned he said that during his 
membership in that church he had never been taught the 
connection between Luke xxiv. 46, 4T, and Acts ii. 38 — 
that when anxiously seeking the pardon of his sins he had 
never been directed to Peter's answer to the question, 
*' What shall we do ?" — in a word, that Christian Baptism 
had a significance, a design^ which the Lutheran pulpit 
entirely ignored. This was a startling revelation to the 
questioner, for, although he had been for nine years a 
preacher in the oldest Protestant church, the connection 
between the passages above referred to had never engaged 
his attention. 

We must conclude that very many prominent preachers 
of the different denominations are equally ignorant to this 
day, else we cannot charitably regard them ; for they do 
not teach this connection, and if they understand it and 
yet preach it not, they are guilty of " handling the word 
of God deceitfully." 

This statement of reasons naturally led them into a 
discussion of Baptism. On the design — for the remission 
of sins — they had no controversy, for that is a cardinal 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 231 

doctrine in Luther's catechism and in other formularies 
of the church he founded. Though the doctrine was 
believed by Luther, it was entirely overshadowed by the 
unwarranted prominence given to faith. This was some- 
what pardonable in him, for human nature is prone to 
extremes, and in avoiding the formalisms and penances 
of the Pope he overleaped the commandments of Jesus 
Christ. His errors may be overlooked, but his successors 
are without excuse. 

But, to return. The subject and the " mode" of bap- 
tism were not so easily disposed of by the two friends. 
On these they joined issue, but the discussion closed with- 
out any immediate results of importance. 

During the interview, however. Elder Hoshour ob- 
tained some facts relative to the teachings and practices 
of the Christians that seemed rather significant. Yet 
with respect to the " mode'' of baptism he regarded them 
as ultra. The Theological Institute, though it had failed 
to acquaint him with the Scriptures, had not neglected to 
furnish him with the stereotyped objections to the uni- 
versal prevalence of immersion. The varieties of climate ; 
the scarcity of water in certain localities ; the incon- 
venience and indecency of the practice ; its incompati- 
bility with the easiness of Christ's yoke — all forbade the 
conclusion that immersion is the only Scriptural bap- 
tism ! But he was soon to be dispossessed of all this 
opposition to the truth. 

Early in the Summer of 1834 his ministerial duties led 
him a few miles beyond Beaver Creek, where the trouble- 
some meeting was still in progress. On the way he met 
a Methodist friend who at once beset him with a repre- 
sentation of the ruinous influence of the '^ Campbellite" 
preacher. He stated that the class-leader had encoun- 
tered the preacher in debate ; that he had been van- 
quished ; that he had gone over to the enemy ; that their 



232 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

class was about broken up ; and that the preacher was 
more defiant than ever. '' Now," continued the speaker, 
" he must be withstood, and you are the man to oppose 
him successfully, for I once heard you preach on the con- 
version of the eunuch, and I think you showed plainly 
that it is not certain that he was immersed." This flat- 
tering invitation he did not then accept, but promised to 
consider the matter. 

Having joined two loving hearts in the bonds of matri- 
mony, he set out for home. As he rode along he meditated 
upon what had been told him until the fire of contro- 
versy burned within him. But prudence whispered to 
him that, before he consented to meet this Goliath of the 
" Campbellites," he had better examine his sling and be 
assured that he had a sufficient number of missiles to pros- 
trate the giant. In obedience to this timely suggestion 
he resolved to examine the whole subject of Baptism, and 
to supply himself with all the arguments pro and con. O 
that every preacher in Christendom would do likewise, 
with regard to that and every other point of material dif- 
ference ! Then would the truth have free course and run 
and be glorified ! Then would God also be glorified in 
the salvation of souls ! Then would the followers of Jesus 
be joined together in one mind, speaking the same thing ! 
Then would infidelity perish and the world would believe 
that God had sent his Son to be their Saviour I But alas ! 
''this people's heart has waxed gross, their ears are dull 
of hearing, and their eyes have they closed." 

In his investigation, he resolved to begin with the 
fathers and standard authors of his own church. He first 
consulted the voluminous works of Luther, in the original 
German ; and, on the two thousand five hundred and 
ninety-third page of the tenth volume, he found Luther's 
sermon on Baptism, preached in June 1520. The very 
first page of this sermon put him in possession of a fact 



SAMUEL K. H O S H O U R . 233 

hitherto unknown to him, viz., the meaning which Luther 
attached to the German word ''taufe.'^ The following is 
a literal translation of the passage : 

'' In the first place, Baptism in the Greek language is 
called Baptismos (pamfi^Gixo^) and, in the Latin, Mersio — 
that is, as when a person dips something entirely into the 
water, the water will cover it; and although in many 
places, it is 7io more the custom to push the children into 
the font and dip them, but only to bepour them with the 
hand out of the font, yet it ought to be — and would be 
right — that a person should, according to the signification 
of the word 'taufe,'' wholly sink the child or candidate 
into the water, and baptize and draw it out again ; as the 
word ''taufe" comes from tiefen, as when a person sinks 
one DEEP into the water and dips. '' 

After reading this passage, penned by no other hand 
than the great and authoritative Luther's, he wisely con- 
cluded that if it should happen to be in the possession of 
his opponent it would prove a formidable weapon. 

The next standard author consulted was Dr. Mosheim, 
a Lutheran also, and a historian of high repute. On the 
108th page of his Church History he found the following 
vexatious passage : 

^^ The sacrament of Baptism was administered, in this 
(the first) century, without the public assemblies, in places 
appointed and prepared for that purpose, and was per- 
formed by an immersion of the whole person in the bap- 
tismal font. " 

The next author was Michaelis, one of the most learned 
men of the Lutheran church, who, on the 506th page of 
his " Dogmatic" expresses himself as follows : 

" The external act of Baptism is dipping under water. 
This the Greek word i3a7trt?w signifies, as every one ac- 
quainted with the Greek language must admit. The bap- 
tism of the Jews was performed by immersion ; so also 



234 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

was that of John the Baptist, and of the first Christians. 
Of this we have a proof in the fact that baptism without 
immersion and only by pouring was allowed in case of the 
sick, in the third century, and it met contradiction as an 
innovation. * * * Immersion was practiced till the thir- 
teenth century, and it is desirable that the Latin church 
had never allowed a deviation from this. But it (the 
deviation) did occur, and at the Reformation it was not 
altered — that is, changed to its primitive form.''^ 

Weighed down by these stubborn facts from the writings 
of the fathers, he abandoned the idea of meeting the de- 
fiant Goliath. Like David encumbered by the armor of 
Saul, he said, ^' I cannot go urith these. ^^ 

The result of his investigation was a firm conviction 
that immersion in water is the only Christian Baptism. 
In the mean time a better understanding of the IS'ew Tes- 
tament and of the Constitution of the Church of which 
the Saviour said, " I will build it," had exhibited to him 
the futility of infant membership. 

Here he found himself surrounded by circumstances that 
could not but severely test his piety and his moral courage. 
The beloved pastor of a large and influential congregation, 
living in fine style and receiving a good salary, a splendid 
prospect spread out before him and his children, yet no 
longer a believer in the doctrines he was expected to 
preach — dissatisfied with his own baptism, his conscience 
pleading for adherence to the right and fidelity to the word 
of God, he was in a condition to be fully realized only by 
those who have passed through a similar process. 

Finally, like Moses, he chose to suffer affliction with 
the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of 
sin for a season. He resigned his charge without, at 
that time, revealing the special reason ; and, in Septem- 
ber, 1834, officiated for the last time in the splendid pul- 
pit of his beloved congregation. These were to him 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 235 

dark days, and at times his spirits were greatly depressed ; 
but he leaned on the word of the Great Shepherd — His 
rod and His staff, they comforted him. 

Though he could no longer preach, conscientiously, 
the Lutheran gospel, yet he did not immediately obey the 
gospel of Christ. His faith in the former system having 
been destroyed, his mind was reduced to a kind of chaos, 
and it required a little while for apostolic order to appear. 
It was not till the last Lord's day in March, 1835, that, 
without the knowledge of his family, he was immersed 
in the vicinity of Hagerstown, Md. On reaching home 
his^wife was greatly distressed, both because she was yet 
much attached to the Lutheran church, and because, with 
a mother's solicitude, she saw in the future nothing but 
penury and ''the cold world's proud scorn" for herself 
and her little ones. 

In the town he was the principal theme of conversation. 
Many denounced, some pitied, and a few commended him. 
As he walked up the street on Monday morning, none of 
his former brethren appeared to recognize him. Like 
Caesar, 

*' But yesterday he miglit have stood against the world — 
Now, none so poor as to do him reverence.'* 

The Presbyterians passed him coldly, all because he had 
demonstrated his genuine piety by forsaking all for Christ's 
sake and the gospel's. None but the Episcopal minister 
gave him so much as a gentlemanly salutation. Nor 
were these the only chilling influences that he had to 
encounter. A pious mother that had taught him the first 
lessons in religion, maternal uncles who had taken a lively 
interest in his education, and were proud of his pulpit 
performances, brothers and sisters who were strongly 
attached to him as a champion of the Lutheran faith, 
were all in their turn to be confounded. In his inter- 



236 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

views with them he made good use of the word, and ex- 
pounded matters in such a manner that, although they 
would not obey the gospel, they could not severely chide 
him for having obeyed it. 

Soon after his immersion, he left Hagerstown, and re- 
sided temporarily with his father-in-law at New Market, 
intending to emigrate to the West the ensuing Fall. 
During his sojourn at New Market, where he .had been 
installed as pastor nine years before, he often met the 
sheep of his first flock. To them, also, he had become a 
stranger, whose voice they were no longer willing to 
hear. The doors of his old church were closed against 
him ; but the Baptists, out of personal respect, opened to 
him their house. When he preached on the action of 
baptism they were delighted ; but when he pressed upon 
them the design, they manifested a spirit closely akin to 
that of the Athenians, when Paul declared to them the 
resurrection of the dead, (Acts xvii. 32.) 

During the three months that he remained in that 
vicinity, he preached every Lord's day, wherever he could 
obtain a hearing. At the close of the last sermon at New 
Market, a highly respectable lady — a member of the 
Lutheran church — came forward and made the required 
confession. It was announced that she would be im- 
mersed on the next morning. Returning home, his father- 
in-law met him on the pavement, and informed him that 
his wife, Mrs. Savage, intended to be immersed at the 
same time. On the banks of the stream, at the appointed 
hour, she made the confession which is '' unto salvation," 
and, with the other woman, was buried with the Lord in 
baptism. 

Some time before this, as he was returning home from 
an appointment, his wife met him in the hall, saying, that 
she had been studying the New Testament, that she was 
satisfied that he had done right, and that she intended ere 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 23t 

long to follow his example. Accordingly, on the next 
day after the baptism of her mother, she and three others, 
one of whom was also a Lutheran, were immersed in the 
same stream. Nor were these only immersed — they all 
arose to walk in newness of life. 

Prior to his departure for the West, he spent three 
weeks preaching in the vicinity of Hagerstown, among 
his former acquaintances. In this time he immersed 
eleven persons, of whom five were Lutherans, two Meth- 
odists, and four '' from the world.'' At sunrise of the last 
morning that he remained, he immersed the two Method- 
ists, who both came up out of the water shouting and 
praising God. Yet this was heresy ! 

Finally, on the 16th of September, 1835, he set out for 
the West. While he was on the way, the Synod of Mary- 
land met ; and although he had consented, at the request 
of the Secretary, to withdraw privately, yet that august 
body formally and solemnly excluded him as a dangerous 
errorist. The following is a transcript of the original bull 
of excommunication, taken from the " Minutes of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Maryland, held at Woods- 
borough, Frederick county, in October, 1835 :" 

" The committee on paper No. 1 now^ reported, and, 
after some discussion, it was 

'' Resolved, That the Rev. Mr. Hoshour, having changed 
his religious creed in some of the essential and funda- 
mental articles of religion, as held and taught among us, 
has thereby voluntarily separated himself from all connec- 
tion with the Lutheran Church, and cannot longer be con- 
sidered a member. 

'' Resolved, also, That the Synod, for the above reason, 
expunge the name of S. K. Hoshour from the list of 
its ministers ; that it no longer considers him a member 
of the Lutheran Church, and that he may live to see, feel. 



238 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

and acknowledge his errors, is the prayer of all those to 
whom he was once ardently attached.'^ 

Such was the last step in his final exodus from the 
^'Evangelical Lutheran Church." 

On the 16th of October, 1835, he arrived, with his little 
family and less means, at Centre ville, the county-seat of 
Wayne county, Indiana. His object in coming West was 
to procure a small farm, and, ^' in the sweat of his face," 
make an independent though humble living. But he soon 
found that his literary pursuits and sedentary habits had 
greatly disqualified him for the business of a farmer. He 
no longer enjoyed it as he did, when an unlettered swain 
in Pennsylvania. Therefore he soon abandoned the plough, 
and commenced teaching a district school near Centreville 
at twenty dollars per month — an unprecedented salary in 
that day. Such was his success that, in a short time, he 
was elected Principal of the Wayne County Seminary, in 
which he taught four years to the entire satisfaction of the 
community. 

During all this time, he employed his Lord's days in 
disseminating the simple gospel as he had learned it and 
most devoutly cherished it. In Centreville, the court-house 
was his sanctuary, in which he officiated as both preacher 
and sexton! On Saturdays he prepared the wood, and on 
Sundays made the fires and preached. His audiences were 
mostly composed of the more intelligent non-professors, 
and the more liberal adherents to the several sects, who 
were generally attentive, and disposed to approbate his 
preaching. 

The Reformation was then in its infancy at that place. 
There was only one family — a man and his wife — that 
openly adhered to the cause for which Elder Hoshour 
plead. These, himself and his wife, at that time consti- 
tuted the Church of Christ at Centreville. He acted as 
bishop, the lone brother as deacon, and the two wives as 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 239 

deaconesses ! There was, therefore, little cause of strife 
and division in that church, /or each member had an office ! 

Though there were no contentions within, it was not 
long until he felt from without the sharp points of secta- 
rian bigotry and intolerance. Low chicanery and tact 
were resorted to in order to counteract his influence in 
the pulpit. But he occasionally made a proselyte, and by 
the help of others succeeded in building up a good and 
substantial church at that place. 

After he had been there one year, the Baptists, many 
of whom sanctioned his preaching, insisted upon his uniting 
with them. He consented to do so, provided they would 
allow him to urge upon all ''seekers,'' Peter's answer to 
the question, ''What shall we do ?" Acts ii. 37. To this 
there was some objection, and the union did not take place. 

In the process of time, the majority of the Baptists 
united with the Christians, to whom they delivered over 
their commodious house of worship. 

In 1836, the Legislature of Indiana appointed him a 
member of the Board of Trustees of the State University, 
at Bloomington, in which capacity he served very effi- 
ciently for three years. 

At the Annual Commencement of 1839, the Faculty 
jind Trustees of that Institution conferred on him the 
honorary degree of A. M. 

With Dr. Wylie, the late distinguished President of the 
State University, he enjoyed an intimate and most agree- 
able friendship. They communed freely on the subject 
of religion, and the doctor interposed but few objections 
to the views of his friend. He afterwards published a small 
work entitled : '^Sectarianism \b Heresy ,^^ which, possibly ^ 
was suggested by what occurred in some of their inter- 
views. At any rate he was not a man who closed his 
ears against the truth, as the following incident will show. 

On one occasion, in Commencement week, the chosen 



240 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

speaker for a certain evening did not arrive. The college 
chapel being crowded to overflowing, President Wylie 
invited Elder Hoshour to supply with a sermon the place 
of the anticipated speech, at the same time giving him 
liberty to choose his own theme and speak his mind freely. 
He accepted the invitation ; took, as his subject, llanos 
Duty, Ecc. xii. 13, and proceeded to preach the ancient 
gospel to perhaps the largest and most intelligent audience 
he ever addressed. There were seated around him, on the 
rostrum, President, Professors, the Board of Trustees, the 
Executive of the State, and several literati from abroad ; 
while before him were the elite of Bloomington and many 
visitors from various parts of the Commonwealth. He 
was then in the vigor of his manhood, and the discourse 
is said to have been one of great power. It w^as doubt- 
less the masterpiece of his whole life. 

In the Fall of 1839 he removed to Cambridge City, where 
he became the principal of a large and tastefully-con- 
structed seminary. There he taught for seven consecutive 
years, and always had a large number of pupils, many of 
whom were from abroad. Several of Indiana's distin- 
guished sons were educated in his school, among whom 
were Major General Lewis Wallace, and the present effi- 
cient Executive, Governor Oliver P. Morton. 

During his residence at Cambridge City he preached on 
Lord's days either in the village, or at points from which 
he could return in time for school on Monday morning. 
Himself, his wife, and one brother in Christ then com- 
posed the church at that place. Thus it happened a 
second time that his flock were all officers ! But they 
relied on the promise, '' Where two or three are met 
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." 

With this weak force he had to combat strong opposi- 
tion to what was stigmatized as Gampbellism. As a 
teacher the several sects esteemed him highly, but upon 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 241 

his preaching they looked with suspicion, if not with con- 
tempt. Under all these discouragements he continued 
to preach plainly, scripturally, and sometimes polemic- 
all}^ ; but being afraid of building, on the apostolic founda- 
tion, " wood, hay, or stubble," he refrained for a long 
while from any attempt to proselyte. Still he immersed 
the first year some half-a-dozen substantial members, and 
the second year about as many. In 1842 he procured 
the assistance of Elder John B. N^ew, and held a pro- 
tracted meeting, which resulted in twenty-five additions, 
most of whom were persons of means, intelligence, and 
moral worth. Built up in that way, the church at Cam- 
bridge City has not yet fallen down ; on the contrary, it 
has been enlarged from time to time, and is at the present 
writing in a prosperous condition. 

During the eleven years that Elder Hoshour taught at 
Centreville and Cambridge, he preached every Lord's day 
except ten ; often riding long distances after night-fall, 
through mud, and rain, and cold. During the greater 
part of this time he preached twice each Sunday; and for 
all these faithful labors, which shattered his constitution 
and destroyed his physical comfort for life, he received 
less than five hundred dollars — not fifty dollars per 
annum. 

About the year 1846 declining health compelled him to 
abandon the school-room, with limited means and a family 
of seven children. For the support of his family he after- 
wards resorted to teaching the German language in the 
various Institutions and larger towns of the State ; but, 
for the benefit of his race, he continued to preach the 
gospel almost '^ without money and without price," as he 
had done for a score of years. Though but few men 
gave unto him, he desired to share with all men the un- 
searchable riches of Christ. Though he himself met with 
few real sympathizers, his own heart swelled with sym- 
21 



242 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

pathj for all whose errant feet he found in the way of 
death. 

In 1852 he purchased a small farm near Cambridge 
City, where he expected to pitch his tent for the remain- 
der of his life, and give himself more fully to the work of 
the ministry. But being strongly importuned to aid in 
the construction of the Richmond and Indianapolis Rail- 
road, he invested largely in this, to him, unprofitable 
enterprise. On account of this investment he became 
involved in debts, to extricate himself from which he was 
compelled to sacrifice the rural homiB which he had pro- 
vided for his old age. 

In June, 1858, he was elected President of the North- 
Western Christian University, located at Indianapolis, 
Indiana. In this capacity he served three years, at the 
expiration of which time the Institution was re-organized, 
and he became Professor of Modern Languages — the 
position which he desired, because it was far less labo- 
rious, and more suitable to his taste and genius. The 
functions of that office he still discharges to the credit 
both of himself and of that department of the University. 
In vacation he goes about proclaiming the word, and 
during the session he occasionally preaches in the city — 
sometimes for the congregation w^ith whom he worships, 
more frequently for the German Methodists, in their own 
language, and not unfrequently — so amiable a heretic is 
he — for his first love, the Lutherans. 

But, ere long, he must rest from his labors. Already 
the almond-tree begins to flourish, and the grasshopper 
to be a burden. Already the strong men begin to bow 
themselves, and those that look out of the windows to be 
darkened. Soon shall the silver cord be loosed, the 
golden bowl be broken. Soon shall he go to his long 
home, and the mourners go about the streets. No man 
is more ready to be offered up, for without once having 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUR. 243 

put off the armor of God, he has fought a good fight. 
Though nearly all else has been sacrificed, he has kept 
the faith J and strong in that faith he will descend to the 
tomb, 

" Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 



Elder Hoshour is a frail, homely man, of an air de- 
cidedly German. His stature is five feet nine or ten 
inches, and his weight about one hundred and forty-five 
pounds. He has a sallow complexion, a highly bilious 
temperament, raven black hair, and dark hazel eyes, full 
of subdued fire. His is a singularly shaped head, which, 
upon the whole, is an unfair index of his intellectual 
ability. His mind is of the reflective caste, active, logi- 
cal, comprehensive, and still vigorous, though impaired 
by the infirmities of the flesh. If its power be estimated, 
philosophically, by the resistance it will overcome, or the 
height to which it will elevate a given body, it will be 
found to be greatly above the average. In its escape 
from theological darkness to biblical light, it overcame 
early prejudices, clerical pride, family and church affini- 
ties, and all sectarian restraints in the form of liturgies 
and creeds ; and despite the force of that gravity which, 
in this unscrupulous age, drags down the conscientious 
man, it has elevated its possessor from the obscurity of a 
German orphan boy to a conspicuous rank among the 
ministers and educators of the age. 

As a scholar he deserves honorable mention. The 
principal events of the world's history, and a general 
knowledge of the several sciences, are carefully stowed 
away in his retentive memory ; and one will not easily 
approach him with any subject on which he may not con- 
verse intelligently. He reads five different languages and 
fluently speaks three — the English, the German, and the 



244 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

French. He is not fond of speculative theories, but 
drinks oftenest and deepest at the sacred fountain : hence 
his knowledge of the Scriptures is deep and extensive. 

Since his entrance into the Reformation he has never 
been a sensation preacher. His forte has been to edify 
the church; to '' enlighten the eyes of their understand- 
ing/' that they might know '' what is the hope of his 
calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance 
in the saints. '^ He has, however, proselyted a goodly 
number to the faith of the gospel ; but very few, if any, 
of whom have returned to the beggarly elements of the 
world. Those whose hands he puts to the plow seldom 
look back. 

In the pulpit his style is somewhat peculiar. *' Teaching 
and preaching'' is his motto ; hence, after singing and 
prayer, he usually expounds a chapter ; after which 
another hymn is sung and he rises to preach. To the 
eyes of strangers this habit sometimes presents him in a 
false light, as the following anecdote will show : On 
a certain occasion an ex-member of the Indiana Legis- 
lature, who was also a disciple, was giving his opinion of 
President Hoshour. Said he, " I went, one day^ to hear 
him preach, and he made a complete failure. He talked 
a few minutes — and talked very well too — then suddenly 
stopped and took his seat. The brethren sang another 
hymn, at the conclusion of which he took a new text, 
tried it over again, and did pretty well !" The Honorable 
had really taken the first performance for a failure, though, 
in fact the programme was carried out to the letter. 

In his palmy days he was a good speaker, but his elo- 
cution is now much impaired by age and bodily infirmi- 
ties. Yet he still commands the attention of his audience 
by the number and quality of his ideas and the copious- 
ness of his diction. But few men can make a more tho- 



SAMUEL K. HOSHOUE. 245 

rough analysis of a passage, draw from it more practical 
lessons, or discourse upon it in more elegant terms. 

Sometimes he has contended earnestly with those ^' of 
the contrary part," but, in the main, he is a servant of the 
Lord that '' doth not strive,'' but is " gentle unto all men, 
apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that 
oppose themselves." 

*' By him, in strains as sweet 



As angels use, the gospel whispers peace. 

He 'stablishes the strong, restores the weak. 

Reclaims the wanderer, binds the broken heart, 

And, armed himself in panoply complete, 

Of heavenly temper, furnishes with arms 

Bright as his own, and trains by every rule 

Of holy discipline, to glorious war, 

The sacramental host of God's elect : 

Are all such teachers ? Would to Heaven all were !" 

It is but a slight exaggeration to say of him that as a 
man — a Christian — he is an embodiment of that charity 
which ^' suffereth long and is kind, which envieth not, 
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave 
itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily pro- 
voked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity but 
rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all 
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." Wherever 
you meet him — at home, in the social circle, or in the 
house of his God — you meet 



'* The man whose heart is warm. 

Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine and whose life, 

Coincident, exhibit lucid proof 

That he is honest in the sacred cause." 

^Possessing but little worldly ambition, he has aspired, 
through life, to the kingdom of God and His righteous- 
ness, taking but little thought of what he should eat, 



246 PIONEfJR PREACHERS. 

what he should drink, or wherewithal he should be 
clothed. Hence he is one of the '' poor of this world 
whom God hath chosen heirs of the kingdom." And 
now, at the age of nearly threescore, with no means of 
support save his hands and his head, and racked with 
pains superinduced by exposure and excessive mental 
labor, he is compelled to toil unremittingly for his daily 
bread. Having devoted his best days to the interests of 
Zion, he has reason to feel that his declining years are 
neglected by the brotherhood whom he loves and has 
faithfully served. On account of this neglect, present and 
pa«t, gloom settles down upon his earthly future ; but his 
pathway to the life to come *' shineth more and more." 

It is said that, to one journeying to the far North, the 
mysterious Aurora increases in splendor as the sunlight 
fades away, and that to one arrived at the open sea that 
surrounds the pole, the hidden sun would appear ^gain, 
sweep round the horizon, and never set. Such to Elder 
Hoshour is the journey of life. Having crossed the 
bright regions within the tropics, and passed through the 
checkered scenes of the temperate zone, he is now plod- 
ding on through the Arctic circle, where the shadows of 
a long night are falling around him. But as his sun de- 
clines, shutting out from his vision the glories of this 
world, the light from Heaven shines with increasing 
splendor, revealing the brighter glories of the world to 
come. Soon will he reach the great Open Sea — Eternity 
— where his sun of life will re-appear, and run round in a 
circle of never-ending felicity. 




^^ 




U^ U^7.-^<a^<r^^ 



WILLIAM WILSON. 



-♦♦^ 



Elder William Wilson, the blind preacher, was born 
in Fleming county, Kentucky, September 23d, 1808. His 
father, Thomas Wilson, was a man of more than ordinary 
intelligence, concerning whose ancestors nothing is known. 
His mother's maiden name was Jane Hughes. She is of 
Irish descent, and still survives. 

Both his parents were for years zealous members of the 
Presbyterian Church ; but soon after the great revival at 
Cane Ridge, in 1801, they both embraced the views of B. 
W. Stone, and took upon themselves the name given first 
in Antioch. 

Elder Wilson has been blind from his birth. In child- 
hood he could, with great difficulty, distinguish bright ob- 
jects when near him in a clear light ; and it was hoped 
that surgical skill might secure for him a more perfect 
vision. Accordingly, when in his fourteenth year, he was 
taken to Lexington to be operated upon by Dr. Dudley, 
who thought a cure inight be effected. While on his way 
to that city, he was in ecstacy at the prospect of having 
the veil lifted and the glories of the external world ex- 
posed to his view. When asleep bright visions came and 
went, and in his wakeful hours still brighter day-dreams 
floated before his mind. But all these pleasing anticipa- 
tions soon vanished away, and gave place to a gloom 
deeper than ever before. The operation performed, and 
the pain, which for several days rendered him delirious, 
having subsided, the bandages were removed, and he was 
informed that he was hopelessly blind. 

247 



248 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

No words can express his deep disappointment on receiv- 
ing this sad intelligence. His sightless eyes became each a 
fountain of tears, and his soul shuddered at the presence 
of the thick darkness which was to encompass it forever. 

But haply, in human experience as in nature, the sunshine 
succeeds the shadow. Hope soon shed its cheerful beams 
upon his drooping spirit ; he resigned himself to his sad 
fate, and resolved to be through life as happy and agreeable 
as possible. In this effort he has been strangely successful. 
The morning of his life has been far from wretched, and 
the feeling of his old age is well expressed in the follow- 
ing beautiful lines, which are attributed to Milton : 

** I am weak, yet strong ; 
I murmur not that I no longer see. 
Poor, old, and helpless, I the more belong, 
Father Supreme, to Thee. 

O merciful One, 
When men are farthest then Thou art most near; 
When men pass hy my weaknesses to shun. 

Thy chariot I hear. 

Thy glorious face 
Is leaning toward me, and its holy light 
Shines in upon my lonely dwelling place, 

And there is no more night. 

On my bended knee 
I recognize thy purpose clearly shown ; 
My vision Thou hast dimm'd, that I may see 

Thyself, Thyself alone. 

I have naught to fear; 
This darkness is the shadow of thy wing ; 
Beneath it I am almost sacred — here 

Can come no evil thing. 

O! I seem to stand. 
Trembling, where foot of mortal ne'er hath been, 
Wrapt in the radiance from that sinless land, 

Which eye hath never seen. 



WILLIAM WILSON. 249 

Visions come and go ; 
Shapes of resplendent beauty round me throng ; 
From angel lips I seem to hear the flow 

Of soft and holy song. 

'Tis nothing now — 
When heaven is opening on my sightless eyes — 
When airs of Paradise refresh my brow — . 

That earth in darkness lies." 

But to return to the facts and incidents connected with 
his history. 

In the year 1826 his father emigrated from Kentucky, 
and settled in Putnam county, Indiana. To remove the 
dense forest that covered all their land, required much 
labor, a portion of which was cheerfully performed by the 
afflicted son. By means of his other senses he could 
burn brush, pile logs, and even fell trees, though this was 
attended with great danger to himself. It was only by 
putting his hand on the trunk that he could ascertain 
which way the tree was falling and this procedure left 
him but little time to make good his retreat. Sometimes, 
too, the limbs stripped fronf neighboring trees fell around 
and near him ; but he escaped unharmed from all these 
''perils of the wilderness." 

As soon as his father had built a cabin he converted it 
into a house of prayer. In it he brought together his few 
neighbors, as often as he could secure the services of a 
preacher ; and in a short time there was organized therein 
a small church. Of him, therefore, as of Moses, it may be 
written, ''this is he that was with the church in the wil- 
derness." 

Elder Wilson inherited from his father a strong desire 
of knowledge — so strong that he would at any time for- 
sake his playmates to hear any one read. The Bible 
was read oftenest ; and from it, therefore, he received the 
most of his instruction. He never went to school — never 



250 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

enjoyed the advantages of the system which has been 
devised for the education of the blind. To him knowledge, 
as well as *' faith," came " by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God." 

If others of his day experienced difficulties in entering 
in at the straight gate, he experienced more ; for while 
they could search the Scriptures for themselves, he was 
compelled to content himself with such portions as his 
friends chose to read. Under such circumstances he made 
but little progress toward tiie kingdom. For several long 
years darkness rested upon things eternal as well as upon 
things temporal ; and the spiritual soon proved a greater 
affliction than the natural blindness, which he had learned 
to regard as " but for a moment." 

Finally in the winter of 1828 his uncle, James Hughes, 
who had come to the knowledge of the truth, came over 
from Kentucky to Putnam county, preaching the '^ancient 
gospel," and convincing the churches (Old Christian) that 
Baptism, in connection with faith and repentance, was 
divinely appointed for the remission of sins. This doc- 
trine produced no small stir among the people ; but was 
nevertheless very generally received. 

In the light of this teaching Elder Wilson saw at once, 
and clearly, what he must do to be saved ; and what had 
been the difficulty with all the " mourners," whom he had 
seen vainly seeking the forgiveness of their sins. With 
joyful haste he fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set 
before him ; confessed, the Saviour before men ; and was 
straightway ''buried with him by baptism into death." 
From that time to the present his peace has been as a 
river. 

Thus it appears that his first religious step was in the 
right direction — that from the beginning of his new life 
he has been identified with the current Reformation. 

Eighteen persons were added with him to the little 



WILLIAM WILSON. 251 

church established at his father's ; and, in the Summer 
following, Elder Hughes returned and baptized about forty 
others. Among these were several young men, nearly 
all of whom began at once to pray in public, and some 
of them to exhort. Indeed, but few of the disciples of 
that early day were "ashamed of the gospel of Christ. '^ 
In the absence of preachers, of whom there were but few, 
they considered "one another to provoke unto love and 
good works, not forsaking the assembling of themselves 
together, as the manner of some is. " 

Foremost among the young disciples was William 
Wilson, who entered upon his public ministry soon after 
his immersion in 1828. At first his efforts were feeble, 
owing to his lack of education and his inability to read 
the word ; but his heart's desire and prayer to God was, 
that he might become an able minister of the ]N'ew Testa- 
ment. Stimulated by this desire, he ceased not to teach 
and to preach according to the grace given him from on 
high. 

For a year or two his labors were confined to his own 
county ; but in the Summer of 1830 he began to travel, 
and within the next few years he visited various portions 
of the State, being very successful wherever he went. 
In 1834 he visited Kentucky. The subject of religion 
being then greatly agitated in that State, he was every- 
where favored with large audiences, and therefore sowed 
bountifully the ''incorruptible seed." He returned home 
by way of Hamilton, Ohio ; from which place he was 
compelled to complete his journey without the assistance 
of a guide. In so doing, he experienced many difficulties 
and escaped many unseen dangers. Not the least of these 
was the crossing of streams ; for it was only by the rip- 
pling of the shoal water that he could distinguish the 
fords, and when this expedient failed, he depended entirely 
upon the guidance of his horse. 



252 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

During the two years following he travelled exten- 
sively in Western Indiana, occasionally passing over into 
Illinois. He devoted his whole time to the work of the 
ministry, receiving for his services what was barely suffi- 
cient to defray his travelling expenses. 

On the 1 5th of August, 1837, he was married to Miss 
Susannah Goff, who, as the mother of four sons and three 
daughters, still lives to share his toils, and sympathize 
with him in his affliction. 

In 1838 he made another visit to Kentucky, passing 
through Cincinnati, and preaching almost daily to large 
congregations along the route. During the interval be- 
tween April and August, he preached through the upper 
counties of that State, adding quite a number to the 
churches of that region. 

On his way home the following incident occurred : On 
the morning of his departure from Cynthiana he had a 
presentiment that some evil would befall him that day ; 
and the farther he rode the more gloomy became his 
thoughts, though he strove to turn them into a brighter 
channel. Late in the evening a rustling was heard in 
the dry leaves by the road-side, and, turning her eyes in 
that direction, his wife (who was accompanying him) saw 
a ruffian-like man raise his gun to his face, and aim it at 
her husband. On being hastily apprised of the fact, 
Elder Wilson calmly inquired of the supposed highway- 
man how far it was to the next inn, adding that he was 
blind and a stranger in those parts. The man lowered 
his gun, muttering some unintelligible reply ; and the 
frightened travellers laid whip to their horses until as- 
sured that they were entirely out of danger. 

The following Spring he again went to Kentucky, and 
preached several months in company with Elder John G. 
Ellis, of Covington. They immersed nearly two hundred 



WILLIAM WILSON. 253 

persons, the majority of them in Kenton and Boone 
counties. 

Returning home, he spent the Fall and Winter, as for- 
merly, in edifying the churches in various parts of 
Indiana ; in introducing the ancient gospel into destitute 
places ; and, especially, in assisting his fellow preachers 
at protracted meetings, which were his chief delight, and 
the places, above all others, in which he could render 
efficient service. 

In the Spring of 1840 he once more crossed the Ohio 
to preach the glad tidings of salvation in the land of his 
nativity. This tour was confined, mainly, to the counties 
of Bath, Montgomery, and Fleming, in which he made 
many proselytes to primitive Christianity. He could have 
made many more, but for the want of some one to do the 
immersing — a work which he could not perform. On this 
account he often left large congregations in tears, without 
giving an invitation to lay hold of the hope set before 
them. 

In the year 1843 he attended a great meeting held at 
Louisville by Elder Benjamin Hall. Wishing to continue 
that meeting. Elder Hall dispatched him to Newcastle, to 
fill his (HalPs) appointment at that place. The brethren 
at Newcastle were greatly disappointed on hearing that 
the expected preacher would not be there. They were 
not well pleased with the dress and general appearance 
of the strange substitute ; and there was a disposition on 
the part of the church not to let him preach. None sup- 
posed that he was '^ a workman approved unto God ;" and 
some feared that he would say things of which they would 
all need to be ashamed. 

However, as there was no other preacher present when 

the people came together on Saturday morning, it was 

agreed that he should officiate. He therefore took the 

stand, and delivered a discourse which moved many of his 

22 



254 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

suspicious hearers to tears. At night, and on the next 
day, other preachers that had arrived discoursed to the 
people, but with no visible effect. On Sunday evening 
Elder Wilson again occupied the pulpit ; and in response 
to his invitation, several came forward to make the good 
confession. From that time he was the chief speaker; 
and before the close of the meeting, twenty-two persons 
were received into the heavenly family, and made heirs 
of the heavenly inheritance. 

At that meeting he met with an old friend by the name 
of Fitzgerald. This kind gentleman, one day, entered the 
room where he was sitting, saying : " Brother Wilson, 
take off your coat." The preacher obeyed without asking 
any questions. Mr. F. then had him to put on a new 
one, worth thirty dollars, observing, after a moment's in- 
spection : " It fits you nicely ; accept it as a present from 
your unworthy friend, and remember me often in your 
prayers." In more respects than one, therefore, he was 
never better rewarded than at Newcastle, Kentucky. 

On another occasion, his raiment experienced a change 
of a less agreeable character. During one of his long 
preaching tours, his coat faded to such an unsightly color, 
that it would have made him quite unhappy, had he pos- 
sessed seeing eyes, or the modishness of some later divines. 
But, as it was, he knew nothing of his misfortune until 
his return home. Thus he demonstrated that, 

" When ignorance is bliss, 
'Tis folly to be wise." 

Once more returned to Indiana, he continued to preach 
wherever there was opened to him a door of utterance. 
Among the many interesting meetings held by him, was 
one at Marcellus, in Rush county. It was on a beautiful 
Sunday ; and hundreds of orthodox Christians — many of 
them from Kushville — came out to hear the Blind Preacher. 



WILLIAM WILSON. 255 

Knowing their views and feelings, he determined to make 
a special effort to present the truth in such a manner as 
to allay their prejudices, if not to convince them of their 
errors. In this attempt he was not wholly unsuccessful. 
Many of those of "the contrary part" declared that he 
had '' said the truth ;" and some were ready to say : '' Al- 
most thou persuadest me to be a Christian." Indeed at 
another meeting held near by he did lead some of them, 
through obedience, into '' the glorious liberty of the chil- 
dren of God." 

About the same time he preached, on a certain Monday, 
at Hanover church, near Morristown, in Shelby county. 
His subject that day was Matt. vii. 21 : '' Not every one 
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father 
who is in heaven." The congregation was deeply affected ; 
and at the close of the discourse several persons made the 
confession which is unto salvation. He preached again 
in the afternoon with similar results. Eighteen, in all, 
were added that day to the saved. Among the number 
was an old revolutionary soldier, with all his house. 

It has already been seen that Elder Wilson has been 
'' in journeyings often," ''in perils in the wilderness," ''in 
perils of waters," and "in perils of robbers." It is 
equally true that he has been " in perils in the city," apd 
in " perils among false brethren," as the following facts 
will show. 

Being once at Versailles, Ky., and intending to go from 
there into Clarke county, he was advised to proceed by 
way of Lexington, and preach to the congregation in that 
city. Having received a letter of introduction to one 
brother F., the proprietor of a hotel in that place, he set 
out for Lexington. He delivered the letter to the godly (?) 
landlord, who, after glancing at its contents, said, "Bro- 
ther Wilson, I cannot entertain you." Proceeding to 



256 TIONEER PREACHERS. 

another place to which he was directed, he was again in- 
formed that he could not be accommodated. He then 
returned to the hotel, in front of which he sat a long 
while before his brother, the landlord, (who had been 
summoned,) made his appearance. When he did appear, 
it was only to say to him, emphatically, ^' You can't get 
to stay here." The poor preacher, who had dismissed his 
guide, requested that he might be conducted to the resi- 
dence of Dr. Dudley, who, he hoped, had not forgotten 
him. This request, also, v^as gruffly refused. Out of 
sheer necessity, therefore, he alighted from his horse, and 
entered, uninvited, into the bar-room, hoping that he might 
meet with some one who would conduct him out of the 
inhospitable city. Ever and anon, as he sat waiting, the 
fearful proprietor came in to assure him that he could not 
be entertained. 

Finally a deliverer came, from whom he learned, as 
they rode to the country, that the landlord was entertain- 
ing a large number of sporting gentry, that had come to 
the city to attend the races, and seek their fortunes in 
games of chance. It was for their accommodation that 
the door had been closed against the unprofitable servant 
of the Most High God. 

After this experience in a fashionable city, he proceeded 
to Clarke and Montgomery counties, where his preaching 
was well received, and crowned with his usual success. 

For the last ten or twelve vears, his labors have been 
confined for the most part to Indiana; and, within the 
limits of the State, there is scarcely a county which he 
has not visited. He has been most successful in prose- 
lyting sinners, many hundreds of whom have, through 
his instrumentality, been made partakers of the inherit- 
ance of the saints in light. He has also accomplished 
something in the great work of persuading the obedient 
among the sects to be called only by the name Christian, 



WILLIAM WILSON. 25t 

and be governed only by the word of God. Though him- 
self uneducated, he moreover contributed his portion for 
the establishment of the N. W. C. University, which is 
now exerting a powerful influence in favor of primitive 
Christianity. 

For his abundant labors he has received but little '* of 
corruptible things, such as silver and gold;" yet, on re- 
viewing the past, he rejoices and is exceeding glad, know- 
ing that great is his reward in heaven. 

Though it has pleased the Lord to afflict him by dark- 
ening forever the windows of his earthly tabernacle, and 
though he has otherwise suffered much for his name's 
sake, yet, while he looks not at the things which are seen, 
but at the things which are not seen, he feels that his light 
affliction is but for a moment; and that it worketh for 
him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 

His days of darkness are now almost ended. Soon the 
vail shall be lifted, and those things ^' which God hath 
prepared for them that love him," be revealed to his 
enraptured vision. 



Elder Wilson is a small, thin man, not exceeding one 
hundred and thirty-five pounds in weight. Having been 
enveloped all his days in thick darkness, he has been un- 
able to take that free, out-door exercise so essential to 
physical development. On this account he looks wan 
and haggard, like a prisoner in a damp dungeon. 

He has a fine head, especially in the frontal region, and 
one sees at a glance that nature bestowed on him an un- 
common endowment of intellect. But the mind, sitting 
ever in its dark chambers, and often famishing for food, 
has been dwarfed hke his body — a misfortune which 
seems to distress him more than all other afflictions. He 
never murmurs, because to him returns not 



258 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

** Day, or the sweet approach, of ev'n or morn, 
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose, 
Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine ;" 

but ever and anon the shadow of despair settles for a 
moment on his furrowed face, and his conversation is 
interrupted by the sad exclamation, ''Ah ! if I hadu't been 
shut out from the light of education.'^'' 

Like a poor beggar at the gate, his mind sits all the 
day long at the tympanum of the ear, receiving pittances 
of knowledge from the passing sounds. In this way he 
has acquired an amount of information that would seem 
almost incredible. With, the Bible especially, he is re- 
markably familiar. He quotes it freely and with tolera- 
ble accuracy in his preaching, always giving chapter and 
verse. 

In the pulpit he appears pretty much as a blind man 
appears everywhere. He is a good singer, and while the 
congregation is assembling he usually sings, by himself, 
some plaintive air, which softens all hearts, and swells to 
the very brim the fountains of tears. On rising to preach 
— if it be in a strange place — he first makes a brief recon- 
noisance of his position ; then repeats a chapter from 
memory, and addresses a short prayer to the throne of 
the heavenly grace. After another song, and without 
resuming his seat, he announces his text and begins his 
discourse. With a clear, sharp voice, he speaks slowly at 
first, but becomes more animated as he progresses. He 
stands quite still, save a slight rocking motion, and makes 
scarcely a gesture — for he is a stranger to the grace that 
is seen in motions. He is a good natural logician, and 
is inclined to be argumentative. In adducing the proof 
of his propositions, he brings together texts widely sepa- 
rated in Holy Writ, weaving them into his discourse with 
remarkable force, precision, and beauty. In his better 
days he was a i;er2/ effective speaker, excelled by few in 



WILLIAM WILSON. 259 

pathetic and stirring exhortation ; but latterly his powers, 
both reasoning and persuasive, are on the wane. 

In religion, where all must walk by faith, he keeps pace 
with the foremost of his brethren. He is noted for god- 
liness, brotherly kindness, and charity — for his disposition 
to *'weep with them that weep," and his readiness to 
'^deliver the poor that cry, the fatherless, and him that 
hath none to help him." 

Revelation lights up every step of his dark way, not 
only dispelling despondency, but also supplying him with 
habitual cheerfulness. If you are at leisure, he enters 
freely into conversation, smiles at the reception of every 
new idea, and laughs outright at the relation of a good 
anecdote. When your business calls you away he paces 
the floor, feeling the way with his ever-present cane ; or 
sits for hours in silent communion with his Maker and 
his own busy thoughts. Occasionally, at such times, his 
low plaintive voice is heard, as he sings to himself some 
consoling stanza like the following : 

** Precious Bible ! how I love it, 
How it doth my bosom cheer, 
What hath earth than this to covet ? 
O what stores of wealth are here !'* 

He is himself something of a poet, and many of the songs 
he sings are of his own composition. The following is 
one with which he often breaks the "solemn stillness" 
which pervades the house of God just previous to the 
commencement of divine service. 

"Take warning, take warning, poor sinners, I praj, 
You now hear the gospel, come and obey, 
Lest your sun, it should set, and you can't find the way, 
For darkness will hinder — in it you must stay. 

Take warning, old people, while it's called to-day ; 
While Jesus invites you, eome and obey, 



260: PIONEER PREA€HERS. 

Lest Death it should call and you too have to go, 
And alas ! like the stuhble, have no fruit to show. 

Take warning, young people— the youth have to die ; 
The messenger, Death, it will not pass you by ; 
In the cold arms of Death you soon may Mo low, 
And alas ! like the chaff, have no fruit then to show. 

Here, parents and children — they surely must part, 
All ties must be broken that bind heart to heart. 
Oh ! think of the friends that are called from time, 
To the hand of cold death they have had to resign. 

Their pains and their groans can ne'er change their state— 
Oh ! the sorrow of mortals what tongue can relate I 
Though theyWe silent in death, we're still moving along, 
But we'll all have to die, and before very long. 

To yonder dark prison, poor man, you must go ; 
While fettered by Death you must in it lie low. 
It is solemn but true, sinner don't wait. 
You had better prepare before it's too late. 

Swift hours will pass, which gold cannot restore — 
When favors are gone you'll be wishing for more ; 
But the harvest is past, the summer is gone, 
And the poor disobedient forever undone." 

One other specimen, in which he has embodied thoughts 
and hopes that were ever present with him, must termi- 
nate this personal description. -J^o fully appreciate it, one 
must hear him sing it as he sits all alone in an adjoining 
room : • 

*' There is a kingdom I do view, 
And to this place let us pursue : 
No poisonous breath shall enter there — 
may I in that kingdom share. 

It is a kingdom of delight. 
Its subjects all are dressed in white, 
Their uniforms shine like the sun — 
O let us to that kingdom run. 



WILLIAM WILSON. 261 

There parents, children, all shall meet, 
Their joys shall ever he complete, 
From pain and sickness ever free — 
O let us to that kingdom flee. 

So let us run that we may gain, 
And ever in that kingdom reign. 
Where peace and joy forever flow. 
And e^en the blind no darkness know. 

That glorious day is rolling on, 
When I shall see the heavenly throng, 
And with the hlood-washed millions stand, 
Rejoicing in that sun-hright land. 

Come, angels, strike your loudest strain, 
The saints with you forever reign ; 
There shall our tears be wiped away. 
My night be turned to endless day." 



LOYE H. JAMESON 



This distinguished pioneer was born May lYth, 1811, in 
Jefferson county, Indiana Territory. His parents were 
both natives of Virginia, whence they emigrated to Ken- 
tucky — his father in 1195 and his mother in 1803. Soon 
after their marriage they again turned their faces toward 
the Northwest, and in the Fall of 1810 settled for life on 
a creek called Indian Kentucky, in the county and Terri- 
tory aforesaid. 

His father, Thomas Jameson, was born of parents who 
were members of the Kirk of Scotland, consequently he 
was sprinkled in infancy and trained up a Calvinist in the 
strictest sense of that term. His mother's parents held 
the views of the Church of England, but for some cause 
she was not christened according to the usages of that 
church. By some means she had imbibed the doctrine 
of Arminius, and was, therefore, directly opposed to her 
husband on the subject of religion. 

But united in heart and fortune, they soon came also to 
*'the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God." In the year 1816, by the hand of John McClung, 
a young coadjutor of B. W. Stone, they were immersed 
into the Lord Jesus and became members of the old Chris- 
tian Church. 

In the Spring of 1818 the father of Love H. chanced to 
form the acquaintance of Mr. Joseph Bryant, a brother-in- 
law of Alexander Campbell. From Mr. Bryant he heard 
for the first time of Mr. Campbell, and of the changes he 
262 






t!^yn/^ 




\ ^^^ia^nM^nu', 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 263 

recommended in the return to the '' ancient order." Soon 
after he received a pamphlet published by Thomas and 
Alexander Campbell, in which was presented at length 
^' The Basis of Christian Union." This pamphlet was 
published in 1809, three years before its authors withdrew 
from the Presbyterian Church. With its contents Mr. 
Jameson was well pleased, and would gladly have read 
more from the same source ; but from that time he heard 
no more of the Campbells, or of the Reformation, until the 
year 1826. 

Among the first religious impressions made upon the 
mind of Elder Jameson was a profound respect for the 
Holy Scriptures. Many portions of them he committed 
to memory at a very tender age, and their declarations he 
was taught to regard as an end of all controversy. In a 
word, he was carefully trained up ''in the way he should 
go," and now that he is old he has not departed from it. 

His education was attended with all the difficulties in- 
cident to frontier life. There were but few schools, and 
they were conducted by incompetent "masters." His 
first teacher, especially, still holds a place in his memory 
as an inexorable tyrant. It was, perhaps, a blessing that 
the sessions were short and at Jong intervals; for had he 
been kept long under such instructors, he might have been 
characterized in after life by a hatred rather than a love of 
literary pursuits. 

It was a happy necessity that kept him the greater part 
of his time under the tuition of his kind parents, who used 
due diligence in the education of their children, especially 
their first Love. Before he was three years old they pur- 
chased for him a primer, and by the help of its pictures he 
soon became familiar with the names of the letters. This 
done, the advance to spelling and reading was easy and 
rapid. 

In penmanship he certainly enjoyed the disadvantages 



264 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of a "new system." With a rude pencil of his own 
manufacture, he executed the characters on linden slabs; 
nor were these implements displaced by pen, ink, and 
paper, until he had learned to write a legible hand. 
This he soon accomplished ; and by the time he was 
seven years old he was so good a scribe, that when 
his first teacher came round with the ''Article," he had 
the honor of signing his father's name to that instru- 
ment. 

From 1818 to 1828 he attended school each Winter; 
and each Summer assisted his father on the farm. His 
principal study, during that time, was Arithmetic ; no 
attention being paid to English Grammar, because it was 
the prevailing opinion that it was calculated only "to 
make fools of the children." The teachers readily en- 
couraged the popular prejudice against a subject of which 
they themselves were grossly ignorant. Geography was 
then an " untaught question ;" and as for Algebra — had 
its name been mentioned, those simple pioneers might 
have mistaken it for that of the striped horse (Zebra), or 
some more terrible "varmint." Still, what little was 
taught he learned ; and, in addition to that, he spent his 
leisure hours at home in reading every book and paper 
upon which he could lay hands. " Weems' Lives of 
Washington and Marion," " The History of the Twelve 
Caesars," an old " History of London," and a stray copy 
of "Morse's Geography," containing numerous historical 
accounts, were read and re-read until he could repeat 
many portions of them from memory. The historical 
portions of the Old Testament, also — especially those 
relating to the 'deliverance and subsequent wars of the 
Israelites, were made as familiar as the tales of the 
nursery. 

Aside from his progress in other matters, he, at an 
early age, displayed a remarkable talent for music ; and, 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 265 

in the former days of his ministry, he was prominent 
among the sweet singers of the Reformed Israel. 

In 1826 his father commenced taking the '' Christian 
Baptist." This opened to him a new field; and, with 
respect to the whole family, this was the beginning of a 
new era. He loDged for the coming of every number ; 
and when it came, it was his happy privilege to read it 
through in the hearing of his parents and any friends that 
might happen to be present. 

The information received from this source, together 
with the knowledge derived from his early reading of the 
Scriptures, made him quite a formidable disputant in the 
private discussions of those times. These were of fre- 
quent occurrence; for Beverly Yawter was already pre 
senting, with clearness and boldness, the distinctive 
features of the Reformation, while all his fellow-preachers, 
and many of the common people, were bitterly opposing 
him. 

Thus things went on until the Fall of 1829. In Sep- 
tember of that year a protracted meeting was held on 
Indian Kentucky, near the residence of Thomas Jameson, 
at which place it had been customary to hold a meeting 
each Fall, for the last ten years. There being no houses 
of worship, the people assembled by day in the groves, 
and, at night, there was usually preaching at several 
different cabins in the neighborhood. On Monday of the 
present meeting it was noised abroad that on the night 
before several persons had '' got religion" at the house 
of an old brother Eccles. This intelligence threw the 
whole community into an uproar. 

For some time previous to that the Reformers had 
rather outnumbered those who held fast the traditioDS of 
the fathers ; but, the event of the preceding night being 
known, a great many rallied under the orthodox banner, 
and, for a single day, restored that party to the ascend- 
23 



266 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

ancy. They controlled the meeting ; thej preached ; 
they invited mourners to the altar ; and had the satisfac- 
tion of seeing many " converted." About noon the great 
assembly repaired to the water, songs being sung all the 
way. On the bank of the stream Elder Jameson con- 
fessed the Saviour, and was straightway immersed by one 
who understood, as well as himself, the design of the 
ordinance. 

From this time forth there was great religious excite- 
ment in that region. But the way which they called 
heresy, gradually gained ground despite the most obsti- 
nate resistance. Elder Jameson took a prominent part 
in every social meeting ; and it was soon insinuated that 
he had a talent for preaching, and that the command was 
to "occupy." Especially did Elder Vawter, and an aged 
brother McMillan, urge him to do the work of an evange- 
list. Yielding to their importunities, he consented ; and 
on the evening of December 25th, 1829, he preached his 
first discourse. From that time to the present, a period 
of thirty years, he has been constantly before the public. 

During the greater part of the year 1830 he was engaged in 
teaching, principally for the benefit of his younger brothers 
and sisters. While thus employed he prosecuted diligently 
the work of self-instruction ; and having acquired a pretty 
good knowledge of his mother tongue, he began the, study 
of Greek. In this, his first text-book was Ironside's Gram- 
mar, which, in his judgment, was most appropriately 
named. It was written in Latin, and to acquire a knowl- 
edge of either language he had to first understand the other. 
He was, therefore, in much the same predicament as those 
who are taught that they cannot obtain faith until they 
pray for it, while at the same time they cannot pray ac- 
ceptably without faith ! Yet by the aid of lexicons and 
of his teacher, he penetrated, in places, even Ironside ; 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 267 

and was soon able to read the New Testament in the 
original Greek. 

In the mean time he and Elder Yawter continued to 
hold meetings at various points in Jefferson and the adja- 
cent counties, baptizing not a few. 

In the Fall of 1832 he visited New Castle, Georgetown, 
Clintonville, and other points in Kentucky. On this tour 
he made the acquaintance of Elders E. R. Palmer, John 
Smith, John Rogers, J. T. Johnson, and other distin- 
guished pioneers of that State, from whom he received 
many valuable suggestions relative to the work of the 
ministry. Returning home, he again engaged in teaching, 
still preaching regularly, however, and immersing many, 
among whom were several of his pupils. 

In the Spring of 1833 he visited Rising Sun, where he 
made arrangements with D. D. Pratt, the Principal, to 
spend the Summer and Fall in the seminary at that place. 
This he did, studying chiefly English Grammar, Algebra, 
Rhetoric, and Greek. During his connection with this 
institution he defrayed his expenses by instructing the 
preparatory classes. He also preached regularly for a 
congregation some distance in the country ; and under 
his labors quite a number were added to the little church. 
From the very first he seems to have cast the net on the 
right side of the ship. 

This w^as the last school he ever attended ; but he has 
been, through life, a diligent self-instructor, and has worked 
his way up to an honorable rank among the educated men 
of the church. In the natural sciences, especially, he is 
quite proficient; and notwithstanding the difficulties under 
which he began the study of Greek, he has, by perseverance, 
acquired a critical knowledge of that language. His lite- 
rary character was such, in general, that, in 1859, the Board 
of Directors of the N. W. C. University, on the recom- 



268 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

mendation of the Faculty, conferred on him the honorary 
degree of A. M. 

Leaving the seminary in November he returned to his 
father's, and once more engaged to teach during the Winter, 
This, his last school, closed in March, 1834, and he imme- 
diately began to make preparations for devoting himself 
entirely to the ministry as a life work. His father fully 
set before him the difficulties and privations he would have 
to encounter as a preacher of the gospel ; but he still 
adhered to his purpose, while he looked not at the things 
which are seen and temporal, but at the things which are 
not seen and eternal. 

On the first day of April, 1834, he bade adieu to home 
and friends, and set out for Ohio. His first appointment 
was at Rising Sun, from which place he proceeded to 
Cincinnati by way of Burlington, Ky. Late in the evening 
he crossed the river at Covington, and found himself alone 
in the busy throng of the young Queen of the West. He 
soon found his way to the house of a brother T. Murdock, 
who extended to him Christian hospitality. Having tarried 
here a few days, he proceeded to Carthage, where he 
renewed an acquaintance, previously formed, with Walter 
Scott. Together they held several interesting meetings, 
and finally went to Harrison, on the State line, to fill an 
appointment for John O'Kane. There they met with Elder 
Carey Smith of Indianapolis; from whom they learned that 
all the churches of the town w^ere closed against them, and 
that they would be under the necessity of holding the pro- 
posed meeting in a barn some two miles up White Water. 

After a hasty meal the trio set out for the said barn, 
where they found only about thirty persons assembled. 
Walter Scott was greatly discouraged, and without cere- 
mony rolled himself up in his great cloak, stowed himself 
away in a hay mow, and went to sleep. The burden of 
the day, therefore, devolved on the two wakeful preachers. 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 269 

Smith delivered an able discourse ; Jameson followed with 
a fervent exhortation ; and several persons came forward 
to make the good confession. At this juncture Elder Scott 
came hurriedly out of his snug retreat, and, without stop- 
ping to remove the bits of hay from his raven locks, joined 
in the exercises with hearty good will. 

As the sun was going down they returned to the village, 
and repaired to the river to attend to the ordinance of 
baptism. A great concourse of people were present, and 
among them a local preacher by the name of Lincoln, who 
fearing an invasion of the Methodist Zion, determined to 
offer battle at the water. Elder Scott immediately took 
his position on a large boulder, and commenced replying 
to Mr. Lincoln's questions. His faithful co-laborers took 
their positions around him, Testament in hand ; and as 
soon as Mr. Lincoln would put a question they would turn 
to the passage containing the proper answer, and hand it 
up to Elder Scott, who would read it aloud, making such 
comments as he deemed pertinent. This done, all were 
ready for another question and another reply. Thus, until 
the enemy was silenced, raged the Battle of White Water, 
fought with weapons ''not carnal but mighty through 
God to the pulling down of strong holds.'' By the sin- 
gular contest an intense religious interest was awakened 
in the whole community. From that time till the close 
of the meeting the'' barn" was filled to overflowing; and 
before they left the town a goodly number had been added 
to the saved. 

This was the beginning of the Harrison church, which 
was organized in July following with over forty members. 

In the mean time Elder Jameson had engaged to preach 
for the churches at Carthage, Cumminsville, and White 
Oak. His labors at each of these points were attended 
with great success. 

In the month of June he assisted Elders Walter Scott, 



270 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

J. G. Mitchell, and Guerdon Gates of Kentucky, in a pro- 
tracted meeting at Dayton, Ohio. This proved to be a 
kind of city of Samaria ; the gospel met with a cordial 
reception ; and many were brought to the knowledge of 
the truth and the obedience of the faith. 

From Dayton, Elder Jameson visited Harrison, Rising 
Sun, Yevay, and other points in Dearborn, Ohio, and 
Switzerland counties. At Yevay he engaged in his first 
and last public discussion. His opponent was the Rev. 
John Pavy of the Regular Baptist church. 

During the Fall and Winter of 1834 he continued to 
preach at various points in Hamilton county, making oc- 
casional visits to Dayton, and one to Wilmington, where 
he became acquainted with Dr. Matthias Winans, a dis- 
tinguished correspondent of the Evangelist and Millennial 
Harbinger. 

Early in the Spring of 1835 he revisited Kentucky, in 
company with Walter Scott. They preached at George- 
town, and at several places in Scott and Woodford coun- 
ties, including Yersailles, Paris, and Lexington. Of course 
they did not fail to visit Ashland, where they spent several 
hours with Mr. Clay under his old-fashioned but hospitable 
roof. 

On returning to Ohio he found letters urging him to 
assume the pastoral care of the church at Dayton. This 
call he accepted, and in June, 1835, removed to that city. 
Soon afterward he visited Connersville, Indiana, where he 
assisted John O'Kane in a protracted meeting. Together 
they then went to Rushville, and thence to Indianapolis, 
then an insignificant town of a few hundred inhabitants, 
having not a single railroad, and consequently as little 
communication with the rest of the world as Jerusalem 
had with Samaria. Bespattered with mud, and wet as a 
drenching rain could make them, they entered the court- 
house where a few persons had assembled ; and soon forgot 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 211 

the sufferings of this present time in contemplating the 
glory that shall be revealed hereafter. At this meeting 
Elder Jameson met, for the first time, John L. Jones, 
P. M. Blankenship, Butler K. Smith, and other pioneer 
evangelists. 

Returning to Dayton, he continued his pastoral labors 
with the most encouraging results. The church at that 
place, thinking themselves unable to sustain weekly 
preaching, permitted him to spend a portion of his time 
in the service of congregations abroad. Under this 
arrangement he visited, during the remainder of that year 
and the next, the churches at Fairfield, Wilmington, 
Maysville, Mayslick, Minerva, Carthage, Harrison, Con- 
nersville, Rushville, Greensburg, Indianapolis, and other 
points in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. His principal 
co-laborers were D. S. Burnett, Walter Scott, John 
O'Kane, and R. T. Brown. In pairs and trios they jour- 
neyed about on horseback, holding here and there what 
were literally ^' big meetings," for they usually continued 
several days, and resulted in the salvation of many. 

In the Winter of 183Y he attended the Campbell and 
Purcell debate, at Cincinnati ; and took part in the long 
series of meetings which followed that exciting dis- 
cussion. 

In April of the same year he resigned his charge at 
Dayton, and returned to his old, first field at Carthage, 
where he found a true yoke-fellow in the person of 
Dr. L. L. Pinkerton. While at this point he also preached 
regularly for the churches at White Oak, Burlington, 
Mount Pleasant, and - Harrison. He made one tour 
through Rush and Fayette counties, Indiana, and one 
through a portion of Kentucky. 

In December, 1837, he was married to Miss Elizabeth 
M. Clark, a woman of such excellent spirit that she was 
soon counted worthy to appear in the society of the blest. 



212 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

For the next two or three years he continued to travel 
and preach as formerly, being present, in the Winter of 
1839-40, at the great meeting in Cincinnati, which con- 
tinued one hundred days. 

At this time he was passing — had well nigh passed — 
the happiest days of his life. Shortly afterward Walter 
Scott and Dr. Pinkerton removed to Kentucky ; some old 
friends emigrated to the West ; others died ; and the 
happy circle in which he had been wont to move, was 
sadly broken. Under such circumstances he was no 
longer content with his field of labor. Like the lone 
Indian who snapped his bow-strings, threw them on the 
burial-place of his fathers, and departed toward the setting 
sun, he left with a sad heart the scenes of his joys and 
griefs in Ohio, and journeyed westward to Indiana. 

This general emigration of evangelists was a severe 
blow upon the cause of reform in Ohio. At that very 
time, if ever, there was need of united and untiring effort. 
All that rich and populous region west and north of 
CinciDnati was stretching out its hands for the ancient 
gospel, and, by proper exertion, might have been brought 
under its influence. But the golden opportunity was 
suffered to pass unimproved, and the field that was ripe 
for the harvest was never reaped. 

In May, 1840, he rested once more with his little family 
beneath the paternal roof. His first work on returning 
to Indiana was to revisit the churches for which he had 
been wont to preach in his youth. This being done, he 
constantly extended his field of operations, until he had 
published the ancient gospel in nearly all the cities and 
villages of the southeastern portion of the State. 

In some of these places he received a small pittance 
for his labors ; but, in the majority of them, he received 
nothing. He therefore knew ''how to be in want," 
though he knew not ''how to abound." At no period of 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 2T3 

his ministry has there been reason to suspect that Elder 
Jameson was following the Saviour for " the loaves and 
fishes. '' During his sojourn in Ohio he never received 
more than four hundred dollars per annum ; and the 
debts he was compelled to leave unpaid, added not a 
little to the heaviness with which he left that State. It 
was only by rigid economy and stern self-denial that he 
satisfied those old claims, and thus kept the command 
to ''owe no man anything, but to love one another." 
Since his return to Indiana his abundant labors in the 
gospel have afforded him a bare support ; and pecuniary 
embarrassments that were present in his youth, are 
robbing him of the ease and tranquillity that should 
accompany old age. 

In May, 1841, Elder Jameson located in Madison as 
pastor of the congregation in that city. The year opened 
with bright prospects, but it closed in the deepest gloom. 
At the close of a beautiful day in June, his wife was 
walking in the garden, apparently in perfect health ; and 
while thus engaged, she was suddenly seized with an 
apoplectic fit, and almost instantly expired. 

After this sad bereavement, he continued his pastoral 
labors in Madison until the Fall of 1842. In the mean 
time he made an extensive tour through the Wabash 
country, including the cities of Terre Haute, Crawfords- 
ville, Lafayette, and Indianapolis. 

At the close of the meeting in Indianapolis, he was 
invited to take charge of the church in that city. This 
invitation he accepted; and on the 5th of October, 1842, 
he entered upon the duties of his new pastorate. Before 
leaving Madison, however, he was again married, to Miss 
Elizabeth K. Robinson, of that city. 

In September, 1843, he accompanied Elder B. W. Stone 
and others to the Illinois State Meeting, which convened 
that year at Springfield. After its adjournment, he 



214 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

spent a month in visiting important points in the Prairie 
State. 

In 1845, the State Meeting, which met at Columbus, 
Indiana, appointed him and Elder John O'Kane to 'evan- 
gelize in the southwestern part of the State. To this 
mission they devoted the Summer of that year, doing 
what they could to extend the Redeemer's kingdom, in 
the midst of the excitement produced by the national 
difficulties with Mexico. 

For several years subsequent to this date he was em- 
ployed, partly by the church at the capital, and partly by 
congregations in the vicinity. 

Since 1854, he has preached but little in Indianapolis, 
but he has continued to reside there, laboring incessantly, 
elsewhere, in word and doctrine. He keeps up his regu- 
lar monthly appointments at some four different churches ; 
and availing himself of the excellent facilities afforded by 
the numerous railroads centering at that place, he pub- 
lishes the glad tidings throughout the entire Common- 
wealth. Even state lines do not circumscribe his influ- 
ence ; for, in the last few years, he has visited Ohio, 
Kentucky, Western Missouri, Illinois, New York, and 
portions of New England. 

From first to last he has been successful in his ministry ; 
and the Lamb's book of life will reveal many a name 
written therein through his instrumentality. 



In the personal appearance of Elder Jameson there is 
but little indicative of the hardy pioneer. Aside from 
his silvered locks and patriarchal beard, he exhibits but 
few signs of old age. His cheek is but slightly furrowed ; 
his black, restless eye has lost none of its youthful fire ; 
and he who has known him for a score of years can 
scarcely detect any loss of grace or elasticity in his step. 
He weighs about one hundred and forty-five pounds ; is 



LOVE H. JAMESON. 2^5 

about five feet nine inches high, rather slender, and as 
straight as an Indian. 

As he has risen by his own efforts from the humbler to 
the higher and more refined circles, he has departed from 
the style of dress, and, somewhat, from the plain and 
simple manners of the former days ; on which account, 
some, who adhere to the simplicity of the olden time, 
think him proud. But he is easily approached, uniformly 
courteous, and always sociable, unless his attention hap- 
pens to be engrossed with some particular subject. 

With regard to intellectual ability and scholarship, he 
is considerably above mediocrity. In the main his re- 
searches are extensive rather than deep ; yet he is not 
superficial, and on some subjects he is decidedly original. 
In biblical criticism, especially, he has evinced greater 
acumen than many who eclipse him in reputation. 

He has not written extensively for the public, but has 
for many years contributed sparingly to the Christian 
Record, Millennial Harbinger, and other organs of the 
brotherhood. It costs him much labor to write for the 
press ; for he composes slowly and with great care ; and 
his manuscript, before it leaves his hand, must be in ap- 
pearance altogether unexceptionable. It may be on this 
account that he has not been a more frequent contributor. 
His prose essays certainly compare most favorably with 
the productions of many whose names, in full, appear 
almost weekly in some of the religious papers. Though 
he does not claim to be a poet, he has written some very 
respectable hymns, a few of which have recently appeared, 
over his initials, in '* The Weekly Christian Kecord." 

As a pulpit orator he occupies an honorable rank among 
the preachers of his day. He has an excellent voice ; his 
elocution is earnest and emphatic ; in gesture he is free 
and natural, in language chaste and copious. In speaking 
he holds his head in a rather elevated position, ar d turns 



2T6 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

it about in a peculiar manner, bj which alone he would 
be easily recognized were he, in other respects, completely 
disguised. Some censorious critics think him somewhat 
wordy, desultory, and given to repetition. If so, it is not 
because he lacks ability to be concise and logical ; but 
because he has preached so long and become so familiar 
with every portion of the Scriptures that he has suffered 
himself to fall into the habit of speaking without previous 
preparation. In this particular he is by no means a sin- 
ner "above all others" — the fault is as common as it is 
grievous. He is a bold and uncompromising defender of 
the truth, yet he is not disputatious or dogmatical. His 
discourse is generally designed to point out the path of 
duty to saint and sinner, or to expound some difficult pas- 
sage of Scripture. 

As a Christian he is without spot and blameless. In 
the congregation, in his family, in the round of mirth, in 
the house of mourning, in every relation of life, his de- 
meanor is '^as becometh the gospel of Christ." 

Having been from his youth under the influence of that 
wisdom which has "in her left hand length of days," his 
willing spirit is not yet fettered by any serious infirmity 
of the flesh. On the contrary, he is still vigorous and ac- 
tive in the ministry, though 

** The morning of life 
Has vanislied away, 
And shadows portend 
The close of the day." 





t 



JL-Q Lun^^ 




JAMES M. MATHES 



Of all the preachers of Indiana, whether of the past or 
the present day, none has contributed more to the progress 
of the current Reformation than the subject of this sketch. 
He was born on the 8th of July, 1808, in Jefferson county, 
Kentucky, near the site of the present village of Browns- 
borough. His progenitors, a few generations past, were 
inhabitants of the county of Antrim, in the north of Ireland. 
His grandfather served under General Washington in the 
war of Independence, as quartermaster of a Virginia regi- 
ment. His father, Jeremiah Mathes, was born in Shen- 
andoah county, Yirginia, whence, about the close of the 
last century, he emigrated to Kentucky. 

In the year 1804, Jeremiah Mathes was married to 
Florence Cameron, a descendant of the celebrated Parson 
Cameron, who is embalmed in Scottish history by the 
side of the Wallaces and Bruces. Her father, John C. 
Cameron^ an educated Scotchman, also served a long time 
in the Revolutionary war, and was wounded in the battle 
of Brandy wine. 

Elder Mathes is therefore a descendant of two patriotic 
families, whose spirit he inherits, and whose good name 
he has never sullied. Though too old to enter, himself, 
into the great struggle now going on between patriots 
and rebels, he has sadly but willingly laid his three sons 
on the altar of his country. 

His grandfather, John C. Cameron, after retiring from 
the service of his adopted land, spent the remainder of his 
days as a professional teacher — disseminating intelligence, 
24 277 



218 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

*' A weapon surer yet 

And mightier than the bayonet ; 
A weapon that comes down as still 

As snow-flakes fall upon the sod, 
And executes the freeman's will, 

As lightnings do the will of God.'' 

Keligiously he was a Covenanter, as were all the Cameron 
family in the old country. 

On the other side, the Matheses had been Presbyterians 
almost from the beginning of Protestantism ; but early in 
the present century the father of Jeremiah Mathes, and 
his whole family, were converted to the views of the 
Pegular Baptists, with whom they all became identified. 

About the year 1825, the parents of Elder Mathes 
became convinced of the errors of the Calvinistic system, 
and of the folly of all human cre-eds. In consequence of 
this conviction they left the Baptist Church and united 
with the Old Christian body, in Owen county, Indiana, 
whither they had removed some years before. 

James M. was the second of a family of eleven children, 
six sons and five daughters. Two of his brothers, John 
C. and J. J. W., are also able ministers of the gospel. 
The other three, Henry, William, and Franklin, are indus- 
trious and well-to-do farmers. All the brothers, together 
with the five sisters, are still living, and all are faithful 
members of the Christian Church. 

Elder Mathes was strictly brought up in that particular 
form of Calvinism held by the Regular Baptist Church. 
His public teachers in these things were John Taylor, Wm. 
Keller, George Waller, Zacheus Carpenter, and other early 
preachers of Kentucky, whose names are yet familiar to 
many aged disciples. In their doctrine were many things 
hard to be understood, yet he endeavored to believe ''every 
word," because it was believed by his parents, in whose 
judgment he reposed implicit confidence. 



JAMES M. MATHES. 2Y9 

His mother taught him to read when he was very young ; 
and the first act that he can remember is his reading the 
Holy Scriptures. Thus early was he taught to love the 
Bible and reverence it as ''indeed and in truth the word 
of the living God." Through this wholesome teaching it 
is probable that the outline of his character and the course 
of his future life were marked out before he was eight 
years old ! 

Certain it is that at a very early period of his life he 
manifested a remarkable fondness for public speaking, in 
which he was promptly aided and encouraged by his 
parents and grandparents. His grandfather, especially, 
who was a well-informed man, took great delight in 
teaching him to make little speeches and take part in 
simple dialogues. As often as a few of the neighbors 
would come in, the old gentleman would place the young 
orator upon a table, where he would pronounce his little 
orations to an audience far better entertained than many 
have been by more prosy and more pretending addresses. 

At church he watched with a mimic's eye all the move- 
ments of the speaker, and, on returning home, he practiced 
the same attitudes in the delivery of the short and simple 
speeches which his hopeful grandfather had taught him. 
Even at that age he had resolved to be a preacher of the 
gospel ; and often would he discourse with great earnest- 
ness to his playmates, all seated around according to his 
directions, and all listening demurely to his admonitions. 
At a later period he used to write his discourses, one of 
which is believed to be extant, but in a portion of the 
country not now accessible. It was written on the fol- 
lowing passage in Jeremiah : '' O that you had hearkened 
to my commandments ; then had your peace been as a 
river and your righteousness as the waves of the sea." 

Soon after his father's immigration to Indiana, a mis- 
sionarv by the name of Isaac Reed came from Western 



280 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

New York, and settled in the same neighborhood at a 
noted Big Spring near Gosport. Being Presbyterians, and 
having a " zeal for God, but not according to knowledge," 
they opened a Sunday-school in their own cabin. The 
establishment of this school was hailed with delight by 
the juvenile preacher. He attended regularly, applied 
himself closely, and soon became distinguished for his 
proficiency in memorizing the Scriptures. " The Shorter 
Catechism" he also mastered so completely, that he could 
answer almost every question it contained. Along with 
these answers, he received into his mind much error ; but 
the inspired texts committed, proved to be as '' a little 
leaven that leaveneth the whole lump." Even the knowl- 
edge of the doctrines and commandments of men, thus 
acquired, has been no disadvantage to him in the conflict 
of life. 

This was the first school of any kind he ever attended. 
When, in 1816, his father removed with him to Indiana, 
Owen county was a wilderness from which the savages 
had not retired before the advancing tide of civilization. 
It afforded then, and during nine years subsequent to that 
time, no facilities whatever for education. It was not till 
the year 1825, that Scott W. Young (who subsequently 
married the eldest sister of Elder Mathes) came from 
Kentucky, and taught several schools in Owen county. 
These schools Elder Mathes attended regularly, and by 
close application he acquired the rudiments of a common 
education, including a smattering of English grammar. 

From a child he was inclined to wisdom^s ways. The 
simple prayers taught him by his pious parents were 
seldom neglected until he attained to sufficient age to 
embody, in words of his own, the grateful emotions of his 
heart. He often prayed to his Heavenly Father in secret, 
and inquired of his relatives and friends what he must do 
to be saved. But they were blind leaders of the blind. 



JAMES M. MATHES. 2S1 

anxious, but incompetent, to show him the path of life. 
He longed to see some great "light from heaven," lo 
"hear the voice of an angel,'' or, at least, to dream some 
good, orthodox dream, which would be satisfactory evi- 
dence of his acceptance with God. But he could neither 
see, hear, feel, nor dream any thing that gave him full 
assurance of his conversion. 

He continued in this uncertain state of mind for five 
long years. He attended the meetings of all denomina- 
tions, but none of the preaching afforded him any relief, 
for none was according to the oracles of God — none took 
away the vail of Calvinism, which was closely drawn 
over his heart. According to the direction of the Cal- 
vinist he endeavored to resign himself to perdition. Fol- 
lowing the advice of the preacher of " free grace," he 
repaired to the anxious seat. All the popular expedients 
were resorted to in vain. Year after year did the wintry 
gloom disappear from the face of Nature ; but from his 
brow the dark clouds were not driven. Spring after 
Spring the vernal sun called forth leaf and blossom ; but 
no mysterious power caused to appear, in his heart, " the 
tender leaves of hope." On every side of him others 
glorified God ; but he, though equally sincere, had no 
new song put into his mouth. 

Unable to reconcile this fact with the Scripture which 
affirms that God is no respecter of persons, he presented 
his difficulty to the ministers, who attributed his ill 
fortune to hi^ want of faith. It may seem strange that 
under their instruction he had been praying for years 
without faith. But the fact is they proceeded on the cor- 
rect assumption that the penitent had faith when he pre- 
sented himself at the altar of prayer ; and when one pro- 
fessed to have obtained pardon they received his testimony 
as an additional proof that justification is by faith only. 
But when, as in the case of Eider Mathes, there was a 



2)2 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

failure in the struggle for remission of sins, they dared not 
acknowledge the faith of the penitent, for by so doing they 
would have disproved at once the ** most wholesome doc- 
trine and very full of comfort. "^^ The extremity to which 
the system was reduced by these failures, gave rise to at 
least two grievous but popular errors. 

1. The denial of the faith of the unsuccessful penitent^ 
necessarily originated the doctrine of repentance before 
faith. 

2. The attributing of the failure to lack of faith on the 
part of the penitent, necessarily originated the idea of 
divers kinds of faith. For since the Scriptures say, 
^' Let him that asketh ask in faith^^^ the preachers were 
bound to admit that faith is antecedent to prayer. Now, 
the praying penitent having faith,, and the doctrine of 
''justification hj faith only" being true, pardon was to be 
expected, in every instance, as a logical, an inevitable 
sequence. When it did not follow — when the subject 
did not profess to have " got religion,'^ some objection had 
to be made to one or the other of the premises. The 
major premise, that '' we are justified by faith only" could 
not be objected to because it was in the creed. The 
minor premise had heen admitted — namely, that the peni- 
tent had faith before he prayed ; therefore there remained 
but one way of escape, and that was by affirming that the 
faith of the penitent was not of the right kind. Hence 
the origin of such phrases as '' faith of assent," " saving 
faith," etc., etc. The system sought out this invention 
for the sake of self-preservation — on this ground only is 
it pardonable. 

Sadly perplexed by these absurd teachings. Elder 
Mathes sought in skepticism the relief he could not find 
in religion. He doubted, for the first time, the authen- 
ticity of the Scriptures ; withdrew for nearly a year from 
the sanctuary ; sought to forget God in the company of 



JAMES M. MATHES. 283 

the gay and thoughtless ; devoted his leisure hours to the 
reading of infidel books ; and stopped not in his hopeless 
career until he reached the very border of atheism. 

But in every giddy round of pleasure he saw continually 
before him the meek and troubled expression of his pious 
and affectionate mother, who, more watchful than he had 
anticipated, perceived with pain his every aberration 
from the path of virtue. Her influence, and that alone, 
kept him from plunging openly into '' many foolish and 
hurtful lusts that would have drowned him in destruction 
and perdition." 

Finally he resolved to dismiss from his mind, as far as 
possible, all previous religious teaching; and to read 
again the New Testament as if he had never read it 
before. In so doing his doubts were all dispelled, and he 
again believed with all his heart that '^ Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God.'' 

The entrance of God's word also gave him light as to 
the means by which he might obtain pardon. In looking 
into '' the perfect law of liberty," he saw, with some 
degree of clearness, the plan of salvation ; and was made 
exceedingly happy in believing the truth. 

With joyful haste he communicated his convictions to 
his religious friends, some of whom, to his surprise, 
expressed serious doubts relative to the safety of his more 
excellent way, while some confidently pronounced his 
strange doctrine a delusion of the devil. 

Among others he went to see an old brother by the 
name of John Snoddy, a very candid and pious man, and 
one of the few that, with B. W. Stone, seceded from the 
Presbyterian Church in Kentucky. After his youthful 
visitor had stated his view of the gospel plan of saving 
sinners, the old brother replied with tearful eyes as fol- 
lows : ''Brother James,^^ said he, ''it is contrary to my 
experience, but what am I that I should withstand God? 



284 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

You are right. It is the Lord's word, and therefore safe. 
Go on, and the Lord bless you, my son.''^ Italics can not 
do justice to these ''words fitly spoken.'' They deserve 
to be inscribed in letters of gold on every sectarian pulpit 
in the land. They gave great encouragement to the 
yuung reformer, who resolved to obey the gospel the very 
first opportunity. 

That opportunity did not present itself for a long time ; 
for in all that section of country there was not a ^preacher 
that would immerse him ^for the remission of sinsl^^ 

At that time he had heard of Alexander Campbell, but 
he knew nothing whatever of his views. He had always 
heard him spoken of as an arch-heretic ; and he had not 
the remotest idea that Campbell was in advance of him in 
the very way which he (Mathes) had recently discov- 
ered. Elder Mathes is, therefore, another who derived his 
''Gampbellism^^ directly from the Bible. In the absence 
of other testimony, the fact that so many in that dark era 
came, each without the knowledge of another, to the same 
conclusions, from the study of the Scriptures, would be at 
least strong presumptive evidence that the doctrine they 
then embraced, and have since maintained, is taught in the 
book of God. 

About the 1st of September, 1821, Mr. Mathes obtained 
a copy of Campbell's " New Yersion" and a few numbers 
of the " Christian Baptist." The former greatly assisted 
him in arriving at the true meaning of the Scriptures, 
while his faith was confirmed by the able articles con- 
tained in the latter. 

In October following he attended a great camp-meeting 
held by the Newlights at Old Union meeting-house, in 
Owen county. On Sunday morning he walked out with 
Elder John Henderson, one of the principal preachers, sat 
down with him on a log, and actually taught him ''the way 
of God more perfectly.''^ At first the good man listened 



JAMES M. MATHES. 285 

with suspicion ; but as the argument progressed he became 
deeply interested, and, finally, was so overwhelmed with 
evidence that he exclaimed : '' You are right, my son ; it 
IS the Lord^s plan ; and whatever he commands I can 
cheerfully perform ! I am ready to immerse you for the 
remission of sins." They then returned to the place of 
meeting, and, at the close of a discourse by Elder Blythe 
McCorkle, Father Henderson, with a word of apology and 
explanation, invited sinners to come forward, confess the 
Saviour as he was confessed in primitive times, and be 
baptized every one of them for the remission of sins. J. 
M. Mathes and his sister Eliza made the good confession, 
were immersed straightway by Elder Henderson, and, for 
the time being, united with the Old Christian or Newlight 
Church. 

Immediately after his immersion he began to take an 
active part in the public prayer-meetings, exhorting his 
brethren as often as he was called upon. He also engaged 
earnestly in teaching from house to house, and by the way- 
side, the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 

He may be said to have entered upon his ministry when 
he sat down on the log with Elder Henderson — in fact 
when he first discovered the divine plan of pardon ; for 
the gray-haired minister that immersed him was really his 
third convert, his sister being the second, and old Brother 
Snoddy the first. 

On the 5th of March, 1829, he was married to Sophia 
Glover, a pious young sister in the household of faith. 
She was born in Virginia, whence her father removed, 
first to Montgomery county, Kentucky, and subsequently 
to Owen county, Indiana. Through their long pilgrimage 
together she has been an exemplary Christian, an amiable 
and faithful companion. Meek and uncomplaining, she 
has submitted with cheerfulness to the lot of a minister's 
wife, and has always encouraged her husband to labor for 



286 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

the salvation of sinners and the extension of the Redeem- 
er's kingdom. 

Their union has been blessed with three sons and three 
daughters, all of whom are still living, and all are mem- 
bers of the Church of Christ except the youngest son. 

In June, 1831, he re-organized the church at Old Union, 
all the members entering heartily into the Reformation 
except one sister, who joined the Protestant Methodists 
and became a public teacher of their doctrine. In the 
absence of more experienced leaders, he was compelled 
to take a prominent part in the conduct of the new organ- 
ization, the work of edifying the body devolving almost 
entirely upon him. 

In the Fall of the same year (1831) the first co-opera- 
tion meeting held in the State took place at Crawfords- 
ville. To that meeting he and Elder T. C. Johnson were 
appointed messengers. Arriving upon the ground, they 
found the following preachers in attendance, viz. : Michael 

Combs, Andrew Prather, Jas. R. Ross, Sears, John 

M. Harris, and Wm. Wilson — only six, a number which 
clearly indicates that the Reformation in Indiana was 
then in its infancy. At that meeting, and in the house 
of old brother James McCullough, Elder Mathes made 
his first attempt at preaching, beyond the bounds of his 
own congregation. 

Returning home, the messengers aforesaid entered with 
fresh vigor into the evangelical field ; yet their sphere of 
usefulness was necessarily limited. Elder Johnson was 
clerk of the county ; and Elder Mathes was obliged to 
teach school for a livelihood. Consequently to preach 
on Sundays, and occasionally to hold a two-days meeting, 
was the best they could do. 

The plan of sustaining an evangelist by contributions 
from the people — for there were no churches — had been 
but slightly discussed, and had met with but little favor 



JAMES M. MATHES. 281 

In that quarter of the world, also, the doctrine obtained 
that a minister of the gospel ought to preach for nothing 
and board himself It was generally supposed to be right 
to feed a preacher's horse, if he was so fortunate as to 
have one ; and also to feed the preacher himself, if he 
would go from house to house for his meals. There was 
no law against giving him a pair of socks, especially if, 
as he sat around the old-fashioned fireplace, his protrud- 
ing toes invoked a covering ; and if he had a river to 
cross in order to reach his next appointment, it was con- 
ceded to be lawful for some rich man to slip into his hand 
the amount of the ferriage. This last act, however, was 
perpetrated very stealthily, that the left hand might not 
know what the right hand did ! 

Under these circumstances, he did not receive from the 
churches,, during the first ten years of his ministry, an 
average of one hundred dollars per annum. Even this 
small pittance was received, for the most part, in articles 
of food and raiment — country jeans, the broadcloth of 
those times, being a legal tender. 

The perquisites of his office were also few and small. 
On a certain occasion, he rode some six or eight miles, in 
very cold weather, to join in happy wedlock a country 
lad and lass. The ceremony performed, the delighted 
groom took him to one side and inquired the amount of 
his claim. He replied that in such cases he usually made 
no charge ; but left the amount to be determined by the 
liberality of the party benefited. '' Well, then,'' said the 
new-made husband, " take this, any how," at the same 
time dropping into his hand three Spanish bits, or thirty- 
seven and a half cents. 

From 1830 to 1838 he taught school the greater part 
of his time, but preached on Sundays in the neighbor- 
hood, and, occasionally, during his vacations, he held 
protracted meetings at various points. His labors were 



288 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

mostly confined to the counties of Clay, Owen, Monroe, 
Morgan, Putnam, and Lawrence. He was very success- 
ful in his ministry ; many new churches were organized ; 
and hundreds obeyed the gospel and took their stand on 
the Bible alone. 

In the year 1833 he was ordained to the ministry by 
fasting, prayer, and the imposition of hands. 

In the Fall of the same year, while on a tour through 
Clay county, he met with a violent opposer by the name 
of Burberage, with whom he first measured swords in 
public. The conflict was short, but decisive ; and hardly 
deserves to be called a debate. 

The following Autumn, however, a regular discussion 
took place at Pleasant Garden, Putnam county, between 
him and the Rev. Lorenzo D. Smith, of the M. E. Church. 
This was a highly exciting contest, which resulted in 
great good to the cause of reform, and inflicted a blow 
upon Methodism from which it has not recovered to this 
day. 

In those days he had many little skirmishes with the 
enemies of the truth ; for he was assailed on every hand, 
and he never declined battle when it was offered. 

By this time he had acquired, mainly by his own efforts, 
a tolerable English education ; but his experience in de- 
bates led him to desire a wider scope of information, and 
a more thorough mental discipline — especially did he covet 
a knowledge of the Greek language. He therefore deter- 
mined to make an effort to secure these desired objects. 
Many things stood opposed to the enterprise, not the least 
of which was poverty. But he rented out his little farm 
in Owen county, gathered together a small sum of money 
by selling off his stock, and, in Autumn of 1838, removed 
to Bloomington, and became a student of the State Uni- 
versity. 

To maintain his family and defray his expenses in col- 



JAMES M. MATHES. 289 

lege, he preached regularly for the churches at Blooming- 
ton, Clear Creek, Harmony, and Richland. These con- 
gregations prospered in his hands, and, despite this extra 
labor, he made rapid progress in his studies, especially in 
Greek. 

There were with him in the Greek Testament class 
several young men of Pedobaptist training, and conse- 
quently of Pedobaptist views. When the class began, 
the President. Dr. Wylie, instructed them to translate the 
original text as if it had never been translated, giving to 
every word its primary meaning, according to their seve- 
ral lexicons. Under this rule they all went on harmo- 
niously until they came to the word ^aTtti^nv. This 
Elder Mathes rendered ''to immerse." The Pedoes pro- 
tested, but he persisted. Unable to silence him by their 
own arguments, they appealed to Dr. Wylie, who, in 
hearing their grievances, decided that there was no just 
cause of complaint — that Mr. Mathes was only obeying 
orders, for such was without doubt the primary significa- 
tion of the term. The decision was final ; but the Pedo- 
baptists, wiser than seven men that could render a rea- 
son, continued to use the word ''baptize." 

This was by no means the only concession that the 
learned Presbyterian Doctor made to his pupil, with 
whom he condescended to an intimate acquaintance. He 
frankly admitted the correctness of many tenets of the 
Reformation, and was, for a long while, almost persuaded 
to be a Christian. 

He remained in the University until April, 1841, and 
was, at the time of leaving, a member of the senior class. 
Financial embarrassments prevented him from being 
graduated. 

On leaving college he returned to his little farm in 
Owen county; and, having made arrangements for its 
cultivation, he gave himself wholly to the word. Being 
25 



29Q PIONEER PREACHERS. 

exceedingly zealous, lie labored incessantly night and 
day; and, in all places, his efforts were crowned with 
remarkable success. Having learned also to wield the 
pen, he began to contribute to the Christian periodicals 
generally; and, by this means, he soon became widely 
known as an able and earnest advocate of primitive 
Christianity. 

In the month of February, 1842, he met the Rev. 
James Scott, of the M. E. Church, in a public discussion. 
This took place at Martinsville, Morgan county, and con- 
tinued three days. The result of the engagement may be 
inferred from the fact that, until this day, the Christians 
have occupied the field in force. 

In the Fall of this year he attended the annual meet- 
ing at Old Mill Creek, Washington county. John 
Wright, sr., presided; Absalom Littell, and other 
preachers, assisted ; but Elder Mathes was the chief 
speaker. The meeting continued only eight days, and 
closed with one hundred additions. Such glorious meet- 
ings were frequent in those days, when the disciples had 
not only knowledge, but zeal according to knowledge — 
when they did not shrink from pointing out the difference 
between Christianity and various isms, through fear of 
being called '^ uncharitable." During the year ending 
May, 1843, Elder Mathes immersed six hundred and 
seven persons. Even a greater number were enlisted 
under his preaching, but some were immersed by other 
hands. This was the most successful year of his minis- 
try ; but for thirty years past he has proselyted from two 
to three hundred per annum, making a total of five or six 
thousand. 

In May, 1843, he engaged in another public debate, at 
Greencastle. His opponent was Rev. Erasmus Manford, 
the editor of a IJniversalist paper at Terre Haute, and 
the great apostle of Universalism in Indiana. 



JAMES M. MATHBS. 291 

In July of this year he commenced the publication of 
" The Christian Kecord/' a neat monthly of twenty-four 
pages. Except the Millennial Harbinger, it is the oldest 
living advocate of the current Reformation. It was first 
issued at Bloomington, and it gradually increased in 
popularity until it reached its maximum circulation of 
five thousand. 

Over these subscribers, their families and friends, be, 
for years, exerted a controlling influence. Through the 
columns of his paper he inspired their hearts with zeal 
and courage ; opened the Scriptures to their understand- 
ing ; showed them how good and pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity ; demonstrated the 
evils — the sin — of sectarianism ; and warned them against 
every delusion, of whatever name or description. Mil- 
lerism and Universalism, especially, he combated with 
signal ability, until they were no longer able to offer a 
respectable resistance. 

The cause of education also received special encourage- 
ment from his columns. He did much to extend the fame 
and influence of the State University ; and his pen was 
one of the ablest advocates of the establishment of the 
]Sr. W. C. University, which is now the pride of the 
brotherhood. He was one of the original commissioners 
named in the charter of that institution ; and was a mem- 
ber of the Board of Directors from its organization until 
1856. 

At the beginning of Volume Y. the number of pages 
of the Record was increased to thirty-six, and the amount 
of reading matter nearly doubled. At the same time the 
publisher associated Elder Elijah Goodwin with him in 
the editorial management of the paper. This partnership 
continued to the middle of Yolume VI., first series, when 
Mr. Goodwin retired from the firm. 

In the Fall of 1843 he sold his farm and removed to 



292 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Bloomington that he might the better superintend his 
publishing business. 

About the year 1848 he purchased the office, press and 
stock of the " Bloomington Herald," and commenced the 
additional publication of '^ The Indiana Tribune,'' a weekly 
family newspaper, neutral in politics. 

In the Spring of 1851 he discontinued the Tribune, and 
removed to Indianapolis, where he continued the publica- 
tion of the Record. There he also engaged in the book 
and stationery business; and finally became a stockholder 
in the Indiana Journal Company. 

During his residence in Indianapolis he performed an 
immense amount of labor. In addition to his editorial 
employments, he preached a great deal in various parts 
of the State ; was for a while pastor of the congregation 
in the city ; attended to the business of his book concern ; 
and rendered efficient service as a member of the Exe- 
cutive and Building Committees of the N. W. C. Uni- 
versity. Under such constant pressure his health gave 
way ; and he found it necessary to undo the heavy burden 
by changing his locality. 

Accordingly, on the 5th of November 1855, he left 
Indianapolis and removed to a farm which he had pur- 
chased, near Bedford, in Lawrence county. He left the 
city with a sad heart ; for he had been unfortunate in his 
business transactions, and was poorer by several hundred 
dollars than when he entered into it. He is another of the 
few who, realizing the truth of the Saviour's aphorism, 
have chosen to fail in the service of Mammon rather than 
in the service of God. 

For a few years after his removal to Lawrence he con- 
tinued to publish the Record at Indianapolis ; but he 
finally established a printing office at Bedford, which then 
became the place of publication. In a few months he 
again removed the Record to Indianapolis, where he con- 



JAMES M. MATHES. 293 

tinued to have it issued until June, 1859, when, owing to 
the inconvenience of editing at so great a distance, he 
transferred it into the hands of Elder Elijah Goodwin, by 
whom it is at present controlled. 

This excellent periodical Elder Mathes ably conducted 
through sixteen and a half volumes, which will be in- 
valuable to the future historian, who shall record the Rise 
and Progress of the Reformation in Indiana. 

Improved in health but not in fortune by his residence 
in Lawrence, he gave up his farm, for which he was 
unable to pay ; removed with his family to New Albany ; 
and became the pastor of the church in that city. This 
position he occupied from June, 1859, to May, 1861. 

While at New Albany he prepared and published a 
book of four hundred and eight pages, entitled, ^^ Works 
of B. W. Stone." It is chiefly compiled from the writings 
of that lamented servant of God, and is a valuable addition 
to our Christian literature. 

He also published, in 1861, a little volume of one hun- 
dred and eighty-nine pages, titled, '^ Letters to Bishop 
Morris." It contains fifteen letters addressed to Thomas 
A. Morris, D. D., Senior Bishop of the M. E. Church. 
The first eleven letters are a review of a small work by 
the bishop, entitled, '' The Polity of the M. E. Church.'' 
In the other four the author gives his reasons for not 
being a Methodist. It is written in popular style ; and 
those who may read it, will be both interested and 
instructed. 

In May, 1861, he removed from New Albany to assume 
the pastoral oversight of the congregation at Bedford. 
The estimate placed upon his services at New Albany, 
may be inferred from the following resolutions, adopted 
on the eve of his departure : 

" Whereas, Our beloved brother James M. Mathes has 
signified his intention to dissolve the relationship TY^iich 



294 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

has for some length of time existed between himself as 
pastor and ourselves as the Christian church in New Al- 
bany ; therefore, 

''Besolvedj That it is with deep regret that we part with 
brother Mathes, w^ho, by his Christian deportment, bright 
example, and able ministry, has won for himself our lasting 
respect and esteem. 

^' Besolved, That our good wishes, our kind remem- 
brances, and our prayers, will accompany him wherever he 
may go ; and that we can and do cheerfully and cordially 
commend him to all with whom he may hereafter associate, 
as a Christian and minister worthy of the love and esteem 
of the wise and good." 

By the church at Bedford he is no less beloved ; and 
his success there has been even greater than in New Al- 
bany. Under his able ministry has grown up a large 
congregation, which is just completing a house of worship 
second to but few Christian churches in the State. No man 
living exerts a stronger or more healthful influence over 
the citizens of Lawrence county. 

Both of his married children reside at Bedford, the 
presence of whom and of a multitude of brethren and 
friends who fully appreciate him and his labors, greatly 
lightens the otherwise heavy burden of his long-accumu- 
lating cares. 

For the last thirty years he has been industriously em- 
ployed in the evangelical field ; during which period his 
preaching alone has induced thousands to glorify the 
Father in the confession of the Son. Of these converts 
over four thousand have been immersed by his own hands. 
The heirs of salvation have also been greatly multiplied 
by many evangelists whom he has induced to enter the 
ministry, having first qualified themselves for its work. 

If we add to all this the efi'ect of his public discussions, 
and the influence of his writings — which will no doubt be 



JAMES M. MATHES. 295 

re-published and read by thousands after his death — we 
shall then only approximate the blessed results of his self- 
sacrificing and well-spent life. 



Elder Mathes is a medium-sized man, having weighed 
until recently about one hundred and forty-five pounds. 
He is now considerably heavier. He is five feet nine 
inches high, has a full round chest, and great muscular 
power. He stoops a very little, as he walks with a quick, 
stealthy step. As he moves along there is nothing osten- 
tatious about him, his dress, or his gait. He has coarse 
black hair, and his blue eyes indicate a meek and quiet 
spirit, a sober, reflecting mind. He has a fine constitution, 
which is but slightly impaired by the infractions of time 
and toil. True, his hair is sprinkled with gray, and his 
beard begins to whiten with the frost of age ; but his step 
is still firm, his vigor of mind and body unabated. 

The following are the leading traits of his character. 
1. He is a man of great ingenuousness. To his brethren 
and friends he opens his heart without reserve ; and even 
in the presence of strangers there is about him no appear- 
ance of stiffness or distrust. He never attempts, by any 
ambiguity of speech or insincerity of action, to appear on 
both sides of a question, but he promptly chooses his po- 
sition and frankly gives expression to his views. This 
element of character manifests itself, especially in his public 
discussions. In such engagements, however closely con- 
tested, he scorns all alliance with equivocation, sophistry, 
or deceitful handling of the word of God. 

2. Very much of his usefulness as well as happiness, 
results from his eminent sociability. Wherever he goes 
he soon forms the acqaintance of almost every body ; all 
his acquaintances are his friends ; and being such they are 
the more easily persuaded to become the friends of Jesus 
by keeping his commandments. Aside from the know- 



296 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

lege of a graver kind, he has an inexhaustible supply of 
anecdotes, which but few can relate to better advantage 
or with more pleasure than himself. Though he has trans- 
mitted a rich legacy of wit to each of his children, yet he 
is still blessed above his fellows with that rare faculty 
which never fails to make its possessor a favorite in the 
social circle. His wit never descends to obscenity and 
foolish jesting : — 

** Religion curbs indeed its wanton play, 
And brings the trifler under rigorous sway : 
But gives it usefulness unknown before, 
And, purifying, makes it shine the more.'' 

3. Of such a nature as his, hospitality is a spontaneous 
growth. He uses it without grudging, though not without 
detriment to his earthly estate. His house has always 
been a kind of Disciples' Inn, open, and but too well 
patronized, on all occasions. He is ardently attached, 
not only to his family, but also to his brethren and friends ; 
and in the entertainment of his visitors, he spares neither 
pains nor expense. 

4. He is a true philomathean — one who loves the truth 
and searches for it as the covetous do for hid treasure. 
In the course of his life he has investigated a great variety 
of subjects, and, although not particularly noted for his 
scholarship, his mind is well stored with useful knowledge 
— especially the knowledge of God and of the great plan 
of redemption. His whole nature is deeply imbued with 
that wisdom which cometh down from above — which is 
" first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, 
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and 
without hypocrisy." 

5. As a speaker he is always ready upon any subject 
within the wide range of his investigations. His mental 
forces are so well disciplined, that they can be brought 



JAMES M. MATHES. 291 

into action at a moment's notice ; and his retentive memory 
is well stored with the munitions of intellectual warfare. 
He is never eloquent ; but he speaks with remarkable 
fluency, and apparently without effort. His voice is clear, 
mellow, and of more than ordinary compass ; yet he does 
not startle his hearers with his emphasis, nor does he tickle 
their ears with a great variety of tones : it is the constant 
flow of well chosen words, each laden with its portion of 
some good idea, that at once pleases and instructs. There 
is nothing theatrical about his delivery. During the whole 
of his discourse he often stands in the very same spot, his 
feet close together ; and his gestures are usually few and 
unimpressive. Yet, after all, his manner is earnest ; his 
argument is conclusive ; his exhortation is warm, seldom 
impassioned, often effectual. In the selection of his sub- 
jects he makes no effort to find ^'some new thing;" and 
his preaching is of that quality which "doeth good like a 
medicine j'^'' rather than of that highly-seasoned kind, which 
is pleasant to the taste, but productive of spiritual debility. 
He does not hesitate to declare the whole counsel of God, 
nor to expose any or all dogmas that may retard the pro- 
gress of the truth ; but his delivery is so mild, his repre- 
sentations so fair, and his expositions so clear and con- 
vincing, that he seldom gives offence. Especially, where 
he is known, can he, with impunity, utter sentiments 
which, if expressed by any one else, would be regarded as 
highly offensive. 

His whole pulpit character is pretty well delineated in 
the following poetical description of 

" A vet'ran warrior in tlie Christian field, 
Who never saw the sword he could not wield : 
Grave without dullness, learned without pride, 
Exact, yet not precise— though meek, keen-eyed ; 
A man that would have foiled, at their own play, 
A dozen would-be 's of the modern day; 



298 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Who, when occasion justified its use, 

Had wit as bright as ready to produce ; 

Could fetch from records of an earlier age^ 

Or from philosophy's enlightened page, 

His rich materials, and regale your ear 

With strains it was a privilege to hear : 

Yet, above all, his luxury supreme 

And his chief glory was the gospel theme ; 

There he was copious as old Greece or Rome, 

His happy eloquence seemed there at home- 

AmbitiouSj not to shine or to excel, 

But to treat justly what he loved so well." 



6. As a writer he has long occupied a high rank, as the 
popularity of the Record, and of his other publications, 
clearly attests. With the pen, as in the pulpit, he imitates 
no one ; but dashes on in a bold, free, independent style. 
He pays but little attention to rhetorical flourishes, but is 
prolific of ideas, which he conveys to his readers with 
great force and clearness, though not always in the fewest 
words. He is emphatically a ready writer, composing 
with as much ease as he speaks. 

T. As a religious editor he was eminently successful, 
because of his rare qualifications. He possessed a tho- 
rough knowledge of the Scriptures and of the tenets 
of opposing sects, courage to stem the tide of opposition, 
prudence to avoid expressions that would have engen- 
dered unprofitable strife, a nice discernment in the selec- 
tion of matter, a quick perception of what ought to be 
encouraged or opposed, and, above all, the ability to 
wield a swift, vigorous, and untiring pen. In every 
department of the Christian field he has been useful ; but 
it is chiefly as a public journalist that he has made his 
indelible mark upon the age. 

As already observed, he has not yet been overtaken by 
the infirmities of age, and his ancestors being remarkable 



JAMES M. MATHES. 299 

for their long life, there is reason to hope that the day is 
far distant when his face shall be seen no more in the 
sanctuary of God. But should he fall to-morrow, his 
surviving friends may, without flattery or falsehood, in- 
scribe upon his monument that most beautiful and desira- 
ble of all epitaphs : 

"HE WAS A BURNING AND SHINING LIGHT." 



E. T. BEOWN 



Eyland T. Brown was born on the 5th of October, 
180T, in Lewis county, Kentucky. His ancestors, on 
both his father^s and his mother's side, were originally 
from Wales. His parents were exemplary members of 
the Baptist church, his father being noted as a leader in 
the singing exercises of the congregation. His mother 
still survives, and both the families from which he has 
descended, have been remarkable for their longevity. 

In the Spring of 1809 his father removed to Ohio, 
and settled near New Eichmond, in Clermont county. 
Shortly afterward a colony from Maine settled in the 
same neighborhood. 

In the formation of that colony Yankee sagacity did 
not fail to discover that a schoolmaster would be a prin- 
cipal desideratum in the far West. Therefore, Mr. Mark 
P. Stenchfield, a teacher by profession, was induced to 
accompany the expedition ; as a member of which he was 
regarded as not a whit less useful than the blacksmith, 
the shoemaker, or any other artisan. Simultaneously 
with the round-log domicile and workshop, the school- 
house was erected in the same style of architecture ; and 
as the smith's hammer was heard Winter and Summer, 
so Summer and Winter was heard the busy hum of Mr. 
Stenchfield's school. Thus Master Brown was furnished 
with a rare opportunity of acquiring knowledge from a 
truly competent instructor. He was equally fortunate in 
another respect. Being a weakly lad, of slender habit 
and feeble growth, his parents relieved him from labor on 
300 





trz^on^ 




^?^'icr-z>c~M^ 



R. T. BROWN. 301 

the farm (which was popularly, though foolishly, regarded 
as fatal in such cases), and did all in their power to give 
him a good education, which they supposed the only 
means by which he would ever be able to make a living. 
For several years, therefore, he was sent regularly to the 
colonial school, in which he made rapid progress, and 
acquired a thorough knowledge of the common-school 
branches. 

The teacher was a zealous Baptist, who did not neglect 
the moral and religious training of those under his charge. 
He made himself the companion of his scholars ; entered 
into all their feelings and sympathies; and suffered no 
opportunity to escape by which he might impress his 
pupils with the paramount importance of a pious and 
devotional life. These lessons made a deep and lasting 
impression on the subject of this sketch ; and together 
with the counsel and example of his pious parents, they 
gave direction to the whole current of his subsequent 
life. 

Early in the year 1821 his father removed to Indiana, 
and settled in what is now the southeastern part of Rush 
county. But three years before, that section of country 
was ceded to the United States by the Delaware Indians ; 
and it was only in a few places that the trees had been 
removed from what had been their hunting grounds. 
Here the delicate young student was transferred from the 
confinement and exhaustive toil of the schoolroom to the 
invigorating labors, hardships, and privations of a back- 
woods life. 

For the first two or three years after removing to 
Indiana, he was employed much of his time as guide to 
land-hunters. In this employment he not only became 
an expert woodsman and a second Nimrod, or '' mighty 
hunter,'^ but here also he began to form the active habits, 
and to acquire the fondness for out-door pursuits, for 
26 



302 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

which he has been distiDguished through subsequent life. 
The change of occupation also contributed greatly to his 
physical development. The open air, the ramblings over 
hill and dale, and the excitement of the chase, strength- 
ened every bone, invigorated every muscle, quickened 
the morbid action of every part of his system, and, in 
short, laid the physical foundation v^ithout which the 
intellectual superstructure could never have been reared. 

In the Spring of 1822 — being then in his fifteenth year 
— he made a profession of faith in Christ, was immersed, 
and united with a Baptist congregation known as " the 
Clifty church." 

At that age he had no further opportunity of attending 
school ; but, being passionately fond of reading, and con- 
stantly in search of intellectual food, he finally heard of 
the county library at Rushville. To his famishing mind 
this was a *^ feast of fat things" to which he resorted fre- 
quently, though distant ten miles, by a road very primi- 
tive and, at times, almost impassable. To his education, 
under these circumstances, the college or university was 
not essential : he did not need to be taught ; all he asked 
was the means of ledrning. 

In the Fall of 1825 he had the misfortune to lose his 
father by a very sudden and violent attack of congestive 
fever. It was this sad event that directed his mind to 
the study of diseases and remedies, and determined his 
profession for life. 

In the year 1826 he chanced to meet with a copy of 
Campbell and Walker's Debate, from which he learned 
of the publication of the '^ Christian Baptist," to which 
he soon became a subscriber. From this date (1826) he 
is to be reckoned as a Reformer, though he remained, for 
a short time, a nominal Baptist. 

His first overt act in the direction of reform was on 
this wise : the Flat Rock Association having arrogated 



R. T. BROWN. 303 

to themselves a little of the authoi4ty given to the Messiah, 
drew up certain articles of faith, and recommended their 
adoption by all the churches of which the said ecclesias- 
tical body was composed. The matter being laid before 
the " Clifty church," a motion was made '' to rescind the 
old articles and adopt the new." '' Brother Brown," then 
only nineteen years old, called for a division of the ques- 
tion, the first part of which passed by the aid of no vote 
more cheerfully given than his own. Having thus freed 
the church, for a moment, from the bondage of human 
authority, he immediately moved to adopt the New Tes- 
tament as an exponent of the faith of that congregation. 
This being offered as an amendment, and promptly sec- 
onded, was fairly before the house ; and to dispose of it 
without voting directly against the Bible cost them not a 
little trouble. 

From 1826 to the Spring of 1829, his time and atten- 
tion were devoted exclusively to the study of medicine. 
His knowledge of this subject, as well as others, was 
principally acquired without a master ; and but few men 
that have attained to equal eminence in the profession 
have qualified themselves for it under greater difficulties. 
Out of the bones of an Indian that had been exhumed 
near his father's farm he constructed an imperfect skele- 
ton, to aid him in the study of anatomy and physiology. 
To the ^* great swelling words," that he encountered when 
on that branch of the subject, he gave names without 
regard to unknown rules of orthoepy, and attached ideas 
without knowledge of their derivation. No wonder, 
therefore, if he is sometimes liable to criticism in the 
pronunciation of enormous derivatives. 

During the latter part of the period above mentioned, 
he attended the " Ohio Medical College," at Cincinnati, 
at which institution he was graduated in the Spring of 
1829. 



304 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Returning to his home in Rush county, he spent the 
remainder of that year in search of a location, and in re- 
cruiting his powers of mind and body, then almost ex- 
hausted by three years' incessant study. 

On his return he found the community greatly excited 
on the subject of Christianity, which excitement had been 
occasioned mainly by the introduction of a new religious 
element. Elder John P. Thompson (whose history is 
given elsewhere in this volume) had begun to proclaim 
the ancient gospel with great zeal ; and under his labors 
great numbers were being added to all the Baptist churches 
in that region. But few understood the cause which had 
given the preaching of Elder Thompson such extraordi- 
nary power; yet not even the most rigidly orthodox 
thought of asking questions or interposing objections 
during the excitement of a great revival. On the con- 
trary, Revs. Wm. McPherson and Wm. Thompson, both 
Baptist preachers of some note, fully co-operated in the 
glorious work, and materially aided in carrying forward 
the Reformation. Dr. Brown, the eyes of whose under- 
standing had been enlightened, intelligently gave his 
heart, hand, and voice to the furtherance of the new 
movement. 

But as soon as the excitement began to subside, the 
Baptist churches became greatly alarmed ; and the cry 
of '' Gampbellism^^ went up loud and long. The rulers in 
the Baptist Israel imagined that they saw tares among 
the wheat, and that it would be doing God service to *' go 
and gather them up." Therefore the work of immolating 
heretics was commenced. 

Dr. Brown, whose impertinent action on the creed 
question, three years before, had not been forgotten, was 
selected as the first victim in the State to be sacrificed on 
this altar of sectarian bigotry. He was arraigned on the 
very general charge of "being a Campbellite," and, as 



R. T. BROWN. 305 

sucIj, was excluded from the Church. The following ac- 
count of the affair appeared in the " Christian Baptist'' 
for June, 1830 ; 

Arcadia, Rush Co., Ia., March 15, 1830. 

Dear Brother, — A general conspiracy is forming among 
the '' Orthodox Calvinistic Baptists" in Indiana, the object 
of which is to put a stop to the alarming spread of those 
principles contained in the ''Christian Baptist,'^ and advo- 
cated by all who earnestly pray for a "restoration of the 
ancient order of things ;" which they, however, have seen 
proper to honor with the name of ''damnable heresies." 
I have had the honor of being ranked among the first vic- 
tims of this conspiracy. I have been immolated on the 
altar of party prejudice and sectarian jealousy. I have 
passed through the furnace of clerical indignation, "heated 
seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated." But 
the smell of fire has not passed on my garments. Clothed 
with the panopoly of faith, with the volume of unerring 
wisdom in my hand, I would be ashamed to fear a host of 
sectarians, who have no stronger armor, either offensive 
or defensive, than their creed. 

Nearly four years ago I had the presumption to oppose 
the doctrine of creeds, etc., in a public assembly, for which 
I received repeated rebukes by the dominant clergy, w^ho, 
however, made no attempt to oppugn the arguments I 
advanced in favor of my position. The three years im- 
mediately succeeding this passed with my saying little or 
nothing on this or any other of the religious questions 
which, during that period, were agitated; my time being 
entirely engrossed by studies of a different nature. 

After spending some time at Cincinnati, I returned to 
my former residence in Rush county, and, being more at 
leisure, I determined to give the Scriptures a careful, and, 
if possible, an impartial examination. I did so without 



306 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

favor or affection to any party. The effect was a thorough 
conviction of the truth of the following propositions, viz. : 

1. Faith is nothing more nor less than a conviction of 
the truth of any position from evidence. 

2. That faith in Jesus Christ is nothing more than a 
belief of the facts recorded of him by the Evangelists, to 
wit : That Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, 
and that he gave impregnable proof of his divine mission 
by his miraculous birth, by the numerous miracles which 
he wrought while living, and by his death, resurrection, 
and ascension. 

3. The evangelical writings, containing the facts rela- 
tive to the mighty works which were done by Christ and 
his apostles, together with the corroborating testimony 
of the prophecies, form altogether a phalanx of evidence 
sufficient to convince any reasonable mind that ''Jesus is 
the Christ." 

4. I became convinced that the popular doctrine of a 
partial atonement, and unconditional election and repro- 
bation, were alike antichristian and unscriptural. 

These opinions I at all times expressed freely, not a 
little to the annoyance of my Calvinistic friends. At 
length, after considerable threatening, the following reso- 
lution was adopted by the church on Clifty for my especial 
benefit : 

^^ Re solved y That we will not fellowship the doctrines 
propagated by Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, Yirginia." 

I entered my protest against this resolution, as I con- 
ceived it was intended to condemn a man without giving 
him an opportunity of defense. But I soon learned I was 
to share the same fate. The heresies of Campbellism (as 
they pleased to call it) were charged home on me. I 
claimed the right of defense, but was informed it was a 
crime which did not admit of a defense. I next denied 
the charge of being the disciple or follower of any man, 



R. T. BROWN. SOY 

and required the proof of it. I was again told that no 
evidence was necessary. Thus, you see, I was charged 
without truth, tried without a hearing, and condemned 
without evidence; and thus, in due form, delivered over 
to Satan as an incorrigible heretic. Several more of this 
church are destined shortly to share my fate. Bishop 
John P. Thompson and about forty members of Little Flat 
Rock Church have been arrested for denying the tradi- 
tions of the Fathers, and will no doubt be formally ex- 
communicated.* 

Notwithstanding these sorry attempts of the clergy to 
patch the worn out vail of ignorance, which has long cov- 
ered the eyes of the people, light is dawning apace. Truth 
is omnipotent, and must prevail. 

I shall make a defense of my principles before a candid 
public, the subject of which I would send you for publi- 
cation in the ^'Harbinger," if it would not be too much of 
a repetition of what you have already said on those sub- 
jects in your essays published in the ''Christian Baptist." 

The above facts I consider as public property. 
Yours, in the bonds of Christian love, 

R. T. Brown. 

On the fourth Lord's day in May, 1830, the majority 
that saved Elder Thompson from expulsion organized 
*'The Church of Christ at Little Flat Rock," which 
church continues to this day one of the largest and most 
influential in the State. Into it Dr. Brown entered with 
characteristic zeal ; and in it he made the public defense, 
alluded to in his letter to A. Campbell. This defense had 
a great and good effect upon the community, and is to be 

* By reference to the sketch, of Elder Thompson, it will be 
seen that the attempt to excommunicate those persons was de- 
layed too long — they in the mean time becoming the majority. 



308 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

regarded as the commencement of his public a,dvocacy of 
the ancient gospel. 

Having in 1829 married Miss Mary Reeder, he, in the 
Summer of 1832, located at Connersville, Fayette county, 
there to establish himself in the practice of medicine. 
Here he had to compete with old and experienced physi- 
cians under many disadvantages, not the least of which 
was his religion. The Reformation of the nineteenth 
century was then and there known only in the caricatures 
of a prejudiced pulpit ; and to be simply a disciple of the 
Lord Jesus, without being identified with any orthodox 
sect, was looked upon as evidence of great ignorance or 
impiety, and was therefore a great reproach. But Dr. 
Brown was not the man to deny the faith for the sake of 
popularity, or filthy lucre. Both publicly and privately 
he proclaimed *' all the words of this life," without regard 
to his own reputation or pecuniary interests. By close 
attention to business, and a manly advocacy of the truth, 
he was soon well respected in both his professions. The 
people favored him with a liberal patronage ; and, what 
was far more gratifying to him, they gladly received the 
word and were baptized, both men and women. Shut 
out of the orthodox churches, he made a sanctuary of the 
court-house, in which he soon held a protracted meeting, 
being assisted by John O'Kane, at that time located at 
Milton, Wayne county. A considerable number being 
added to the saved at this meeting, Elder O'Kane removed 
to Connersville ; and in January, 1833, the Church of 
Christ at that place was organized. 

From this time until the year 1842, he preached exten- 
sively through the White Water country ; and his name is 
identified with the early history of many churches in that 
region. 

By these labors, and his arduous duties as a physician, 
his health was so impaired as to render a temporary aban- 



R. T. BROWN. 309 

donment of one or the other of his professions an absolute 
necessity. He therefore discontinued his own work, and 
gave himself exclusively to the Lord^s. 

At the State Meeting held at Connersville, in June, 
1842, he, in conjunction with three others, was appointed 
to labor, in word and doctrine, ''for the churches in 
Indiana. '^ In various portions of this extensive field he 
spent about a year, exposing tradition in its several forms, 
and scattering the incorruptible seed broadcast over the 
land. 

By this service his health was not improved. Suffering 
frequently from hemorrhage of the lungs, his fellow physi- 
cians assured him that, if he persisted in preaching, it 
would be at the cost of his life. He therefore resigned 
the commission received from the State Meeting, and 
spent one year in manual labor of that peculiar kind 
which is required to run a saw-mill. Under this severe 
treatment all symptoms of consumption disappeared, 
although he continued to preach the word on almost 
every Lord's day. 

In the Spring of 1844 he located at Crawfordsville, 
Montgomery county, and resumed the practice of medi- 
cine in connection with the pi^eaching of the word. 

For years past he had devoted his leisure hours to the 
improvement of his education — especially to the study 
of natural science; and his residence in Crawfordsville 
he made equivalent to a regular course in college. The 
''Wabash College^' being located at that place, he was 
kindly admitted to a free use of its extensive library and 
philosophical apparatus. This golden opportunity he 
improved so well that, in 1850, he received from that 
institution the honorary degree of A. M. ; this being one 
of the few instances in which it was justly merited. 

In 1854 he acted as State Geologist, by the appoint- 
ment of Governor Wright, who was of a different school 



310 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of politics, and therefore not influenced, in the selection, 
by partisan considerations. In this capacity he traversed 
almost every nook and corner of the State, finding 

** books in the running brooks, 
Sermons in stones^ and good in every thing." 

In 1858 he was elected to the chair of JS'atural Science 
in the jN". W. C. University, at Indianapolis ; to which 
place he removed in August of that year. There he still 
resides — distinguished as an instructor, and indefatigable 
as a preacher. In all his labors, whether as physician, 
geologist, or professor, he has almost invariably devoted 
the first day of the week to the ministry of the word. 
Having thus performed double duty, he ought to be 
counted worthy of double honor. 

He was also among the first, and has ever been among 
the most zealous, advocates of the Temperance Reform, 
both in Indiana and in other States of the Union. In 
company with General S. F. Carey he has travelled 
extensively as a public lecturer on that subject ; and he 
now stands at the head of the temperance organization in 
his own State. He preaches the whole of the apostle's 
doctrine — ^^ righteousness, temperance^ and judgment to 
come." 

Though he has never been a candidate for office, yet he 
has always taken an active part in politics. True to his 
convictions of right and duty, he acted with the Free Soil 
party fourteen years ago, when it seemed to be a hopeless 
minority. He was stigmatized as an Abolitionist even 
before that term assumed an application so general as to 
include almost every good and loyal citizen. Justly and 
legitimately the termx cannot be applied to him ; for 
although he is firmly opposed to slavery and to the exten- 
sion thereof, yet he denies, and has always denied, the 



R. T. BROWN. 311 

right of the General Government to abolish it in the 
States. 

For many years past Dr. Brown has exerted no incon- 
siderable influence through the medium of the press. 
Many articles from his pen have appeared in the Indiana 
School Journal, Ohio Farmer, Christian Record, Christian 
Luminary, and other periodicals — religious, educational, 
agricultural, medical, and political. In all these depart- 
ments he is fully up with the times if not a little in 
advance of them ; hence it is not by any means in religion 
alone that he is to be recognized as a Reformer. 



The personal appearance of Dr. Brown is rather homely, 
yet such as to fasten upon a stranger the conviction that 
he is in the presence of no ordinary man. He is of 
medium stature, fitly joined together, and weighs about 
one hundred and forty-five pounds. His eyes are pale 
blue or gray, his complexion fair and slightly flushed. 
His hair, now white as almond blossoms, was once light 
or sandy— in early youth almost red. His temperament 
is nervous-sanguine, the latter element predominating. 
There is, therefore, nothing sluggish about his move- 
ments, either physical or intellectual ; and for him to be 
lazy is impossible. 

His mind is of the highest order — clear, logical, com- 
prehensive, and of an eminently practical cast. He is 
naturally a naturalist ^ possessing superior perceptive 
faculties, combined with extraordinary powers of analysis 
and classification. It is not extravagant to say that had 
he been properly educated and introduced to Nature in 
early life, he might have rivaled Agassiz or Humboldt in 
the number and value of his scientific achievements. 

His scholarship partakes largely of the qualities of his 
mind. He is well acquainted with history, especially 
that of the church, and of humanity in its moral and reli- 



312 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

gious phases. With such branches of mathematics as are 
of practical utility he is sufficiently familiar ; but of the 
abstract theories of calculus he knows as little as he 
cares. Of the literature of his own language he has a 
respectable knowledge ; but in Greek and Latin he has 
but little faith and but few attainments. He is well 
informed with regard to politics, the science of govern- 
ment, and every thing pertaining to the rights of man, 
whether civil or religious. In short he is practical rather 
than classical; and comprehensive at the expense of 
accuracy in little things. He knows more of the present 
than of the past, and is more familiar with nature than 
wath books. It is in the department of Natural Science 
that he seems almost omniscient. There nothing is so 
minute as to have escaped his attention ; nothing fathom- 
able, that he has not sounded to the bottom. 

He is emphatically an off-hand man. He writes no 
sermons and but few addresses of any kind. His college 
lectures, both before his classes and on Lord's days, are all 
extemporaneous. When he does write, however, his arti- 
cles are characterized by clearness, force, and originality. 

As a speaker he ranks above mediocrit}^ He has a 
pleasant voice of very great compass, which he employs 
with proper emphasis and unaffected earnestness. His 
language is fully adequate to the prompt expression of 
his ideas ; and if he repeats, several times, a clause of a 
sentence, it is not because he is unable to complete the 
proposition, but because he is indulging a wayside 
thought with reference to some other matter. If some 
such obtrusive thought entices him a little way from his 
line of argument, he comes back to the point with an 
emphatic '' but," which is a fair warning that the main 
subject is about to be resumed. He indulges no flights 
of fancy, but deals with plain facts. He dilutes no senti- 
ment in a flood of words, studies no attitudes for the sake 



R. T. BROWN. 318 

of appearing graceful ; but he expresses himself as forcibly 
as possible, and if a gesture is added it is designed to 
impress rather than to please. He abounds less in pathos 
than in imagination ; has no gift of exhortation ; hence 
has never been very successful in proselyting. His forte 
is to instruct the church and to convince the judgments 
of ''them that are without." Those whom he doe^ dis- 
ciple have such " deepness of earth" that but few if any 
" wither away." 

In society and at home he is ''a plain, blunt man,'- 
possessing more of the fortiter in re than of the suamter 
in modo. True, he is kind, hospitable, and sufficiently 
affable ; but on meeting a friend, he makes no courtly 
bows, feigns no unspeakable joy, puts on no hypocriticeJ 
smiles. Though not remarkably awkward in the drawing- 
room, yet he is not a " star" in circles that abound in small 
talk ; and sooner than spend his days in such a place, he 
would choose life in a prison where, undisturbed, he might 
stroke his long beard as he always does when absorbed in 
meditation. 

He possesses an indomitable will ; and is noted for 
great decision of character. He is of that class of men 
who suffer — not only reproach, but martyrdom, if need be, 
for their religion or cherished principles. Had he been 
the editor of the Knoxville Whig the world would perhaps 
have heard as much of Parson Brown, as it has heard of 
Parson Brownlow — they are at least as much alike in one 
respect as their names. 

He is a man of remarkably active habits. Early in the 
Spring he spades up his large garden, because it could not 
well be ploughed to suit him ; and, while thus engaged, 
he might easily be mistaken, at first glance, for a genuine 
son of the Emerald Isle. As the growing season advances 
he is to be found out in his grounds, planting, weeding, 
pruning, training, or otherwise laboring. Though neither 
27 



314 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

poor nor penurious, he saws his own wood; and, while 
thus employed, he arranges in his mind the materials for 
his next sermon or lecture. If he preaches on Sunday at 
a distance of ten miles from the city, and if there is no 
early train on Monday morning, he regards it as a light 
matter to perform the journey on foot in time to hear his 
classes in the University. '^ In time," be it observed, for 
with him punctuality is a cardinal virtue. When he takes 
his class into the field to give them a little practical, as 
well as theoretical geology (a thing seldom done by ten- 
der-footed Professors), he astonishes them as much by his 
indefatigableness as by his familiarity with the names, 
qualities, and positions of the rocks. He is usually the 
last to cry ''halt." 

The burden of years is light upon him ; and his present 
condition and appearance, Cowper has well described in 
the following lines ; — 

**A sparkling eye beneath a wrinkled front 
The vet 'ran shows, and, gracing a gray beard 
With youthful smiles, descends towards the grave 
Sprightly, and old almost without decay." 




V-— - ^^^^ (ar-^C.^tLj 



GBOEGE CAMPBELL. 



-M»K 



Elder George Campbell was born at Brewer, Maine, 
on the 8th of February, 1801. He is a descendant of a 
somewhat distinguished family in the Highlands of Scot- 
land. His grandfather, when quite young, emigrated to 
the county of Antrim, near Argyleshire, in the north of 
Ireland, where he married into a Protestant family by the 
name of Dunning. In commemoration of this part of the 
Emerald Isle, Elder Campbell received from his parents 
the name, George Argyle, which he has chosen to abbre- 
viate to George. Soon after his marriage, and a few years 
prior to our Revolution, the grandfather emigrated to the 
New World and settled at Brunswick, in what was then 
the province of Maine. About the year 1114, he re- 
moved to Bangor, then a small village, on the Penobscot, 
at the head of tide-water. Here he took command of a 
company of patriot forces, which protected the friendly 
Penobscots and guarded the northeastern frontier against 
the depredations of the hostile Mohawks. In this posi- 
tion he served his country gallantly, and became widely 
and favorably known as Captain Campbell. Elder Camp- 
bell, in his boyhood, often sported with the famous clay- 
more which his grandfather wielded against the Mohawks 
in the struggle for Independence, little dreaming that he 
was destined to wield, in his manhood, the mightier 
''sword of the Spirit," which only can make us ''free 
indeed." 

His father, Thomas Campbell, was born at Brunswick, 

315 



316 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Maine, and brought up in the Presbyterian faith, which 
was hereditary with the Campbells, as it is with many 
good people even now. His mother, whose maiden name 
was Sabara Knapp, from whom he received his first reli- 
gious impressions, was a Congregation alist, and a mem- 
ber of a Massachusetts family originoMy from Germany. 
Thus it happens that the blood of three different races 
courses his veins, blending in him the wit and eloquence 
of the Irishman, the vigorous intellect and untiring in- 
dustry of the German, and the dauntless courage and 
elastic spirit of the Highlander, l^o wonder, therefore, 
that he is considered Q.raraams — a remarkable character. 
He was the sixth of a family of nine children, four of 
whom still survive. As his star arose in the East, he 
enjoyed better educational advantages than most of his 
co-laborers, who were struggling up to manhood in the 
wilderness of the West. When only five years old he 
entered the New England free-schools, which he attended 
regularly for six years. The next five years were de- 
voted to hard labor on his father's farm, where he acquired 
the splendid physical development which has contributed 
so much to his intellectual vigor. At the age of sixteen 
he entered Foxcroft Academy, which was fortunately 
situated near his father's residence. Afterwards he at- 
tended the Maine Wesley an Seminary, then under the 
able supervision of W. C. Larrabee, late Superintendent 
of Public Instruction in Indiana. At a still later period, 
he became a student of Waterville College, where he com- 
pleted the regular course to the close of the junior year. 
His tutor, at this Institution, was Parish Lovejoy, who, 
a few years ago, died at Alton, Illinois, a martyr to the 
cause of liberty and free speech. Thus it is seen that 
Elder Campbell, although not a graduate, has undergone 
rigid mental discipline, and is therefore to be reckoned 
among the educated men of the Reformation. 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. Git 

From his twenty-third to his twenty-fifth year he was 
a clerk in his brother's store at Argyle, Maine. While 
thus employed he wrote and circulated the petition to the 
Legislature for the incorporation of the town of Argyle, 
so named in memory of the land of his forefathers. 

In the year 1830 he entered upon the work of the 
ministry among the Liberal Christians of New England. 
These societies were congregational, composed of Univer- 
salists, Unitarians, and Free-thinkers. For a short time 
he was a member of the Maine Convention of Univer- 
salists, or more properly Eestorationists, since they advo- 
cated the doctrine of a judgment ''after death," but 
believed that all punishment would prove reformatory, 
and that, as a positive infliction, it would finally cease. 
During the year 1831 he preached for Unitarian Congre- 
gational Societies at Atkinson and Orono, Maine. 

In 1832 he renounced all fellowship with the whole 
fraternity of Universalists, went to Boston, and united 
with the Bulfinch Street Congregational church, then 
under the pastoral care of the Rev. Paul Dean, who held 
to the strict and proper divinity of Christ. During the 
year 1832, and part of 1833, he studied theology under 
Dr. Dean, and received from the Association in Boston 
his license to preach. With this commendation he came 
to Ohio in the Summer of 1833, arriving in Cincinnati 
just at the breaking out of the cholera in that city. On 
the first Lord's day after his arrival he preached in the 
Unitarian church on Fourth street, and on the next day 
was seized with the cholera. The attack was severe, but 
'God did not permit the silver cord to be loosed. He 
designed to open the blind eyes that they might yet 
behold wondrous things in His law. 

Having recovered from this illness, he visited his uncle, 
D. Campbell, in Fayette county, Indiana. Here he con- 
tinued preaching theology for the space of three years ; 



318 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

here, too, an event transpired which led to a complete 
revolution in his theological views. In the providence 
of God he had now arrived near Damascus, where the 
light from Heaven was to shine round about him ; he 
had come to Ephesus, where " the way of God" was to be 
expounded to him "more perfectly." As this event was 
the pivot in his religious life, it deserves to be recorded in 
detail. 

At this time the Church of Christ at Connersville, 
Fayette county, w^as under the oversight of Elder Jesse 
Holton and Dr. R T. Brown, now Professor of Natural 
Science in the Northwestern Christian University, and 
then, as now, an efficient laborer in word and doctrine. 
On the arrival of the brilliant New England preacher in 
that community, there was no small stir among his breth- 
ren, who were almost disposed to say of his preaching, 
"It is the voice of a god, and not of a man" — so satisfac- 
torily, to them, could he establish their cherished theo- 
ries. They insisted that the Christians should give him 
a hearing, and he, in turn, was invited to come out and 
hear the Christians. 

Not long after, when the Church of Christ at that place 
had assembled, "on the first day of the week to break 
bread," Elder Campbell entered, and seated himself near 
Dr. Brown. Being invited to preach, he declined. The 
invitation was renewed ; and, thinking there must be 
some misunderstanding, he frankly confessed that he was 
not of that "way." "No matter," said the doctor; "for 
this very reason, we desire to hear thee — what thou 
sayest." Consenting to preach, he took for his text. 
Acts xvi. 31: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved;" from which he delivered an excel- 
lent discourse relative to the power of faith to purify 
the heart, reform the life, and save the soul. At the close 
of the sermon, Dr. Brown followed with some remarks. 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 319 

He heartily endorsed all that had been said of faith; 
''but/' said he, ''there are two chapters in man's life: 
the past, and the future. Faith, by purifying the heart 
now, may regulate the future ; but it cannot reform the 
past, or blot out the transgressions that are already 
recorded in the book of God's remembrance. " He then 
proceeded to show that, in the divine economy, Baptism, 
with its proper antecedentSj is designed to free us from- 
our " old sins," while Faith, by purifying the heart, is to 
prevent the occurrence of new offenses, and thus present 
every man perfect in the sight of God. At the con- 
clusion of these remarks Elder Campbell had described 
with his chair a quadrant of a circle, and was sitting 
directly in front of the speaker, regarding him with a 
look very similar, no doubt, to that of the ancient scribe 
when he said to the Saviour, Well, Master, thou hast said 
the truth. Like the Scribe, too, he was then "not far 
from the kingdom of God." 

While preparations were being made to break bread, 
he inquired if he would be permitted to partake with 
them, and received the prompt answer, " Let every 
man examine himself ;^^ which, he says, made such an 
impression on his mind that, to this day, he has never 
ceased to "examine himself." 

When the congregation retired he had a long interview 
with Dr. Brown. The questions they discussed engen- 
dered no strife. The one, like Aquila, confined him-self 
to the "way- of God;" the other, like Apollos, received 
with meekness the engrafted word ; and between them 
that day was cemented a friendship which has never been 
dissolved. 

Returning to his uncle's, he entered upon a thorough 
investigation of the doctrine of the I^ew Testament. 
This he did, not to find support for any dogma, or former 
religious hypothesis ; but devoutly to ascertain, in the 



320 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

light of the divine oracles, what is the religion of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. This investigation, which was dili- 
gently prosecuted for several months, resulted in his 
union with the Church of Christ at Connersville, in the 
year 1835. The inductive ordinance he received at the 
hands of Elder John Longley, now the oldest Christian 
preacher in Indiana. 

RecoQimissioned by the church at Connersville, he left 
Fayette county in August, 1836, and soon after became 
the pastor of the church at Harrison, near Cincinnati. 
Here he remained three years ; and mainly by his labors 
more than four hundred converts were, in that time, 
added to the church. 

In September, 1839, he returned to Maine to see once 
more his aged parents and kinsmen in the flesh. Among 
the friends and relations who joyfully received the word, 
he had the pleasure of immersing into Christ his vene- 
rable mother, with whom, in former days, he had always 
coincided in religious views. She was a woman of 
exemplary piety, who, for years, had endeavored to do 
the will of God so far as she had been able to ascertain 
it. It was hers to realize the promise : '' To the upright 
there ariseth light in the darkness." To her he was 
indebted for the moral and religious direction given to 
his young life ; and her letters to him are fine models of 
a mother's counsel to her son. 

In June, 1840, he set out on his return ; parsed 
through the Federal capital and other Eastern cities ; 
visited the sacred spot where reposes the dust of Wash- 
ington — then undisturbed by the shock of fratricidal 
war ; and paused awhile at Charlottesville to see Mon- 
ticello and the University of Virginia. The State Meet- 
ing of the Disciples happening to be in session, he made 
the acquaintance of many of the chief brethren of that 
State and Maryland ; among whom were Elders Henshall, 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 321 

Goss, Coleman, and the venerable Father Ferguson. Here, 
too, he met his distant Scotch relative, Alexander Camp- 
bell, then in the prime and vigor of life, whose preaching 
on that occasion he represents as superlatively eloquent, 
evangelical, and edifying. 

From Charlottesville he returned to Harrison, and 
continued to labor there and in the adjacent counties in 
Ohio and Kentucky, until the Spring of 1842. In April, 
1841, he was married to Miss Sarah Ann Wile, a worthy 
sister in the Harrison church. She has been a faithful 
and self-sacrificing helpmate in all his toils and trials in 
the gospel and in the cause of education. She is now 
the mother of six children, five sons and a daughter, who 
constitute almost the whole of their earthly treasures. 

In 1842 he removed with his family to a small farm 
near Oxford, Ohio ; and became the pastor of the church 
at that place. Here he continued to preach, with great 
success, for the next three years, making occasional tours 
through Indiana, Kentucky, and other portions of Ohio.. 

In the Spring of 1845, the Rush County Evangelizing 
Association, in Indiana, of which the Hon. J. Helm was 
then President, and Hon. John L. Robinson, Secretary, 
called him to the work of an evangelist, and to aid in 
founding and building up an institution of learning in that 
county. Responding to this call he removed to Fairview, 
and in March, 1846, entered the field in Rush county, 
The great battle between orthodoxy and that which they 
called heresy was then going on in that county, in which 
conflict he engaged with all boldness and bent his bow 
valiantly for the truth. 

In the Fall of that year he resigned his position as 
evangelist of the Association and took charge of the 
Farmington Academy, which maintained a good repu- 
tation during his administration. It was subsequently 
transferred to Fairview, where it continues to flourish, 



322 PIONEER PREACHERS 

Elder Campbell being the President of the Board of Di- 
rectors. 

At the State Meeting of the Brotherhood of Indiana, 
held at Greensburg, Decatur county, in 1841, he introduced 
a resolution in favor of building up in the State an Insti- 
tution of learning of the highest grade. This, so far as is 
known to the writer, was the first movement toward the 
founding of the Northwestern Christian University, an 
institution already second to none in the State, and which, 
if completed on the scale of the projectors, will be second 
to but few on the continent. The discussion of the said 
resolution led to the appointment of the University Com- 
mittee, which was composed of James M. Mathes, Elijah 
Goodwin, L. H. Jameson, Ovid Butler, and John O'Kane ; 
all of whom were from that time active co-workers in 
behalf of the enterprise. At the next Annual Meeting 
they reported in favor of establishing the University, 
which was subsequently located at Indianapolis, accord- 
ing to a vote of the churches throughout the State. The 
following year, the State Meeting appointed as their 
agent, Elder John O'Kane, who obtained the subscription 
requisite for the organization of the Institution. Elder 
Campbell was one of the original commissioners appointed 
by the Legislature, and at the organization he was chosen 
one of the members of the Board of Directors, which po- 
sition he still occupies, having been twice re-elected. 

In April, 1848, he removed to Cincinnati and became 
pastor of the Church of Christ in Fulton, dividing his time 
between that church and his old charge at Harrison. This 
year he assisted Elder Walter Scott in the removal of the 
^' Protestant Unionist" from Pittsburg to Cincinnati ; and 
ably conducted the paper in the absence of the editor. He 
also rendered important service to Dr. Horatio P. Gatchel 
in bringing out the republication of 'Wc La /^^^ on [he Com- 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 323 

mission,^^ a, work that has greatly contributed to the pio- 
gress of the Reformation. 

Near the close of 1848, he, with others, purchased the 
" Protestant Unionist," which, on the 1st of January, 1849, 
was superceded by the '' Christian Age," of which Dr. 
Gatchel and T. J. Melish were editors. In a short time 
Dr. Gatchel sold his interest in the paper, and the name of 
George Campbell appeared as one of its editors. During 
the absence of Elder Melish, and during the prevalence of 
the cholera in the Summer and Autumn of 1849, Elder 
Campbell had the sole charge and management of the 
paper. Aided by Elder James Challen, he conducted, in its 
columns, a discussion relative to the propriety of calling 
a convention for the purpose of organizing a general Mis- 
sionary Society. He and Elder Challen successfully plead 
the affirmative of the proposition until the convention was 
called and the American Christian Missionary Society was 
formed. Probably this enterprise was first suggested by 
Elder Challen ; but once suggested it found an earnest, 
able, and persevering advocate in the person of Elder 
Campbell. Of the Executive Board of this Society he has 
always been an efficient member, and much of the time 
one of its general traveling agents. 

In the fall of 1849 Elder Melish transferred his share 
of the " Christian Age" to Elder D. S. Burnett, who then 
became the principal editor. Elder Campbell then bade 
adieu to the sanctum and the city ; returned to Rush 
county, and entered again upon the work of an evangelist. 
He also assisted Prof. A. R. Benton (now President of 
the N. W. C. University) in the Fairview Academy ; and 
regularly contributed to the "Christian Age," of which he 
continued joint proprietor and associate editor. 

In 1851 he sold his share of the paper to Elder Benja- 
min Franklin, but still contributed to its columns, until, 
after so many changes, it finally fell entirely into the 



324 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

hands of Elder Franklin. Not long after this it died, but 
by a happy transmigration of soul it soon re-appeared in 
the present well-known weekly, '^ The American Christian 
Review." Of this paper Elder Campbell has been an 
occasional correspondent. Indeed, he has contributed 
more to our periodical literature than is generally known. 
Aside from his editorials, he has furnished occasional arti- 
cles for the Millennial Harbinger, Western Reformer, Ohio 
Preacher, Christian Family Library, Western Evangelist, 
Christian Record, and Christian Luminary. He writes 
forcibly in very plain style. As when one sees him, it is 
the man J and not the dress, that attracts the eye ; so 
w^hen one reads him, it is the idea, and not the language, 
that fixes the attention. He employs no grievous words 
that stir up strife ; but his articles are deeply imbued 
with that charity that 'Hhinketh no evil." His pen 
addresses itself ad rem, and not ad hominem. 

Being employed by the State Meeting as a home mis- 
sionary in Northern Indiana, he spent the Winter of 1853 
in that field, which embraced the counties of Porter, 
La Porte, and St. Joseph. Here, in co-operation with 
brethren R. Wilson and D. Miller, he reconstructed the 
prostrate church at Mishawaka. This had been a power- 
ful church, but political commotions and various other 
wranglings had destroyed its influence and laid it in ruins. 
Its successful reconstruction gave a new impulse to the 
cause of primitive Christianity in Northern Indiana, which 
is now a great field " ripe for the harvest." 

He finally removed to the northwestern part of the State, 
and fixed his residence at Oxford, the county seat of Benton 
county. Soon after this removal, assisted by Elders John 
Longley, H. R. Pritchard, and J. C. Johnson, under a 
great oak tree on his own premises, he organized the 
Church of Christ at Oxford. This was the first church 
planted at that place ; and it was the first house of worship 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 325 

erected in Benton county. It has continued to increase 
by the edifying of itself in love, until it now numbers 
nea-rly eighty members, and is in a prosperous condition. 

These missionary labors were to him " the heat and 
burden of the day." Under their pressure his constitu- 
tion so far gave way that, from 1854 to 1859, he was 
never in perfect health even for a single day. Still he 
remained at his post ; often preaching during the parox- 
ysm of either chill or fever ; organizing churches in Ben- 
ton, Warren, Tippecanoe, La Porte, and Montgomery 
counties ; and introducing the ancient gospel into various 
places in Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky. 

In December, 1858, he removed to Burnettsville, in 
White county, for the sake of the educational advantages 
afforded to his children by the Indiana Normal Institute 
located at that place. Here he was made the general 
agent of the Institute ; and, besides extensive evangeliz- 
ing operations, he raised by subscription over three thou- 
sand dollars for the erection of a new building. This 
excellent high school is now in successful operation in 
the new edifice, which is another beautiful monument 
erected by Elder Campbell in the cause of education. 

During his two years' residence at Burnettsville he 
added sixty-nine to the assembly of the saints ; and 
through the instrumentality of that church several pro- 
mising students of the Institute have been sent forth into 
the harvest. These two years, however, he mainly spent 
abroad ; the first as evangelist, the second as agent of 
the American Christian Missionary Society. In both 
these departments his labors produced abundantly the 
peaceable fruits of righteousness. 

In December, 1860, he moved back to his old home at 

Pairview, Rush county, whence he causes the light of 

truth to radiate. There he happily resides, surrounded 

by confiding, warm-hearted brethren, very many of whom 

28 



326 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

are his own sons in the gospel. There we leave him, and 
close the record of his deeds. 

The exact number that have been redeemed through his 
instrumentality cannot be given. Of these he has kept 
no record, trusting that their names will all be found 
written in the Lamb's book of life. But, wherever he 
has preached the word, the disciples have been multiplied 
greatly ; and in the counties of Rush and Fayette, where, 
with Elders Reeve and Thompson, he has labored so long, 
multitudes have obeyed the ancient gospel, and its claims 
are so generally acknowledged that an angel from heaven 
would perhaps meet with very little success were he to 
declare in those counties ''any other gospel." 

He has unbounded confidence in the ultimate triumph 
of the cause for which he has plead, and to which he has 
devoted the affections of his heart, the energies of his life, 
and the most of his earthly substance. 

In the providence of God his health has been completely 
restored, so that he rejoices not only in view of the triumph 
of Truth, but also in the prospect of long life. He yet 
possesses a vigorous mind, a stout heart, and a firm pur- 
pose to devote his earthly future as he has his past, assured 
that for all his sacrifices in the life that now is, God will 
restore him a hundred fold in the life that is to come. 



Elder Campbell is about five feet seven inches in height, 
and not quite so much in circumference. He is heavy 
set, weighing about two hundred pounds ; and although 
his heart may sometimes falter, his flesh never fails him. 
His head is very large, and in such close proximity to his 
shoulders that an observer once said of him, ^'That man 
has no neck.^^ It is overgrown with a heavy crop of 
short, coarse, bristly hair, which, as often as he beholds 
his natural face in a glass, affords him an example of up- 
rightness. He walks like every other fat man, and sits 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 327 

down, when duty permits, with evident satisfaction. The 
portrayal of his features must be left to the engraver. 

His dress is eminently in keeping with his person — 
rougl>and serviceable. In its selection he consults com- 
fort, not fashion. His cravat is never of ministerial white, 
and it very often fronts to one side. He leans upon no 
staff save that which supported David ; and displays no 
golden chain but love. In- a word, he takes no thought 
for the outward adorning ''of wearing of gold and putting 
on of apparel.'' 

His habits — those immaterial garments that envelop the 
inner man, the soul, and form the character as material 
garments do the dress — are equally becoming. There is 
no studied concealment of defects — no egotistical display 
of virtues. His character, like his body, stands before 
you in bold, distinct outline. Its principal traits are thus 
given in an article from the pen of Elder James Challen, 
than whom, perhaps, no one knows them better : 

'' He is possessed of a sound judgment, a vigorous un- 
derstanding, a quick perception, considerable compass of 
thought, and a power of keeping his mind in abeyance 
until he has fairly reached his conclusions ; and, when 
reached, he holds on to them with singular tenacity. He is 
not satisfied with looking at a subject simply in one direc- 
tion, but seeks to examine it in all its bearings and relations. 

" He is a lover of the truth, and is never weary in its 
pursuit. His thirst for knowledge is at times a passion — 
an appetite — and his application unwearied and constant. 
He * Hi * * * He is possessed of great, simplicity 
of character : kind, confiding, and full of warm and strong 
attachments, which make him a most agreeable compan- 
ion. He is utterly devoid of all envy and jealousy, and 
free from every ungenerous suspicion. A constant and 
devoted friend, a cheerful, pleasant, and profitable com 
panion. ****** 



328 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

'' His skill lies chiefly as an evangelist over large fields. 
He easily adapts himself to every situation in life and 
class of society ; chiefly to the more humble and hard- 
working. With these he is a special favorite, and is held 
in high estimation for his plainness and simplicity." 

He is a friend in deed to the missionary cause. Ope- 
rating much of his time in large fields, he realizes that the 
harvest Is great ; he therefore prays the Lord to send forth 
laborers into his harvest, and exerts himself to obtain 
means for their support. Believing of a truth that faith 
comes by hearing the vi^ord of God, and that salvation is 
through faith, he does all in his power to send that word 
to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. 

The cause of education also finds in him a zealous ad- 
vocate and a liberal contributor. While others have en- 
deavored to accumulate silver and gold, and houses and 
lands for their children^ he has beneficently applied the 
most of his goods, that, by so doing, he might lay up foi 
himself a good foundation against the time to come. 
'' Let the light enter,'' is his motto ; and his heart's desire 
is to see the sons of our country grow up as fruitful plants, 
and her daughters be polished after the similitude of a 
palace. 

As a preacher he is plain, pointed, didactic. His ser- 
mons are not pleasure parks with their flowery walks, 
refreshing shades, and fountains spanned by rainbows ; 
but rugged mountains rather, full of useful materials, 
based on the Rock of ages, their sun-lit tops pointing to 
Heaven. His subject is often a most familiar passage, 
and the instruction drawn from it is generally of a prac- 
tical character. If he employs a figure, it is more for 
strength than for beauty. If he makes a quotation, it is 
oftener from the apostles than from the poets — an asser- 
tion which is not true of all preachers. There is no effort 
to gratify itching ears, but an earnest purpose to roacli 



GEORGE CAMPBELL. 329 

the candid heart; no bombastic flights of fancy, no su- 
perfluity of feigned pathos ; but in their stead there is 
depth, solidity, originality, genuine earnestness, and, above 
all, the truth as it is in Jesus. One is not apt, therefore, 
to become a weary listener ; more probably his heart will 
burn within him while the Scriptures, in their ancient 
simplicity, are being opened to his understanding. 

He has a strong, deep voice, and his loud, rapid, and 
sometimes vociferous utterance has won for him the sobri- 
quet, Boanerges. When excited he gesticulates violently 
in every direction, and according to no prescribed rules. 
He apparently loses all knowledge of himself in his sub- 
ject, and feeling the importance of his theme himself, he 
easily makes others feel it. He closes every discourse 
with a powerful exhortation, in which his voice sometimes 
rises to the highest pitch, and his vehemence kindles into 
the most impassioned eloquence. 

He is not generally regarded as a formidable controver- 
sialist ; yet in his hands the weapons that are not carnal 
are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, and every 
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. 
He has never hesitated to assault error, and his attacks 
have been more successful than those of many who are 
flattered as champions of truth. But while others have 
used harsh epithets in public discussions with those whose 
prejudices were so excited that they were unable to dis- 
cover the right, he has in meekness instructed those that 
oppose themselves ; and, by a quiet victory, brought them 
to the acknowledgment of the truth. 

There is another trait in his character as an evangelist 
that deserves to be presented, that it may be imitated. 
He is a peace-maker. Perhaps no man in the Reforma- 
tion has been more successful in reconciling brethren at 
variance, and in reconstructing churches destroyed by 
schism. He is a most zealous advocate of union among 



330 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

all the followers of Jesus, and an ardent opposer of what- 
ever tends to sow discord among brethren. Though he 
resembles Peter in his elocution, and Paul in his reason- 
ing, he is most like the beloved John, the burden of whose 
doctrine was, Little children^ see that you love one another. 
May the children of the kingdom among whom he has 
gone preaching, hearken to his wholesome admonitions — 
may they " do all things without murmurings and disput- 
ings, that they may be blameless and harmless, the sons 
of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and per- 
verse nation ; and that he may rejoice in the day of Christ 
that he has not run in vain, neither labored in vain. 



JOHN O'KANB, 



-*•¥- 



This distinguished pioneer was born in Culpepper 
county, Virginia, in 1802. His ancestors were originally 
from Ireland, and many traits of the Irish character are 
yet traceable in his own. His parents seem to have been 
quite poor, and to have had no claim whatever to a place 
among " the first families" of his native State. Therefore 
his distinction is due to his own genius, and not to any 
extraordinary privileges obtained either by purchase or 
by inheritance. 

In his youth he was sent for a short time to an academy, 
where he received a tolerable English education. In after 
life, while contending earnestly for the faith, against a 
host of opposers, he acquired, by his own efforts, a re- 
spectable knowledge of the Greek language. This, with 
the general information acquired by reading,. is the extent 
of his education. It is not, therefore, on account of what 
he knows, but on account of what he is and what he doeSy 
that he is remarkable. 

He embraced Christianity at an early age, and at first 
united with the Old Christian body, or Newlights, in Vir- 
ginia. Among. them he commenced preaching when quite 
young ; but of his ministry east of the Alleghanies little 
is known. 

Sometime between 1825 and 1830 he left Virginia, and 
made his way — on foot it is said — to Lebanon, Warren 
county, Ohio. There he prosecuted for some time the 
work of the ministry; and there, in the year 1830, he 
was married to Miss Martha Verbryke. 

331 



332 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

It appears that his coDversion to the ancient gospel 
was effected in the following manner : when zealously 
opposing what he supposed to be heresy, he saw, in the 
'' Christian Messenger," some articles on " The Plan of 
Salvation,'' written by Elder James E.Mathes of Alabama, 
and ably advocating the claims of the Reformation. There 
being no opposition to these articles from any other quar- 
ter, he determined to reply to them himself. Accordingly 
he wrote his " No. 1,'' which was published in the Mes- 
senger, accompanied by some editorial remarks, in which 
he found, to his surprise, that Elder Stone had taken 
sides against him, and in defense of the views of Elder 
Mathes. These editorial comments on his " No. 1" were 
so pointed and convincing that his '^ No. 2," though writ- 
ten, was never published ; and in a short time both he 
and Elder Stone were preaching the faith which both had 
once sought to destroy. 

In the Spring of 1832 he came to Indiana, locating at 
Milton, in Wayne county. For the support of his family 
he engaged in teaching a common-school ; but for the 
good of his race he continued to preach the gospel on 
Lord's days, and at such other times as he had oppor- 
tunity. Being charged with " Campbellism," the few 
meeting-houses were closed against him ; but John 
O'Kane was not the man either to conceal his own light 
under a bushel, or to suffer it to be extinguished by the 
proscriptive efforts of those who ''loved darkness rather 
than light, because their deeds were evil." Such pres- 
sure only made him the more luminous, and in a little 
while he became a burning and shining light — almost 
the only one at that time in Eastern Indiana. Com- 
mencing in his own little schoolhouse, he rapidly extended 
his appointments to others ; and when no house could 
be obtained, he preached to multitudes of people in the 
open air. 



JOHN o'kane. 333 

Within the same year, 1832, he crossed over into Rush 
county, where he was employed for one year to co-operate 
with Elder John P. Thompson in doing the work of an 
evangelist. In this service he traversed the counties of 
Rush, Fayette, and Decatur ; and his name is identified 
w^th many churches and reformatory movements which 
originated at that time in that portion of the State. 

In January, 1833, he journeyed as far west as Indian- 
apolis. On his arrival there he found the court-house 
occupied by the Legislature then in session ; the '' evan- 
gelical" churches closed their doors against him; and 
there was no place for holding a meeting, save in an old 
log-house on Market street, which the few^ persecuted 
saints had rented as a place of prayer. In this he began 
and preached on three evenings in succession, the house 
not accommodating one half the people who were anxious 
to hear the word. In the meantime the Legislature ten- 
dered him the use of the court-house on Saturday even- 
ing and on Lord's day. There he had an opportunity of 
speaking before judges and legislators, as well as many 
of the ''common people;" and faithfully did he witness 
to both small and great, speaking none other things than 
those which the Lord and his apostles appointed for them 
to do. "The preaching," says one who heard it, "was 
so different from any that had ever been heard in Indian- 
apolis before — so bold, so pointed, so convincing, so 
strongly enforced by the commanding voice, expressive 
eye, and fine oratory of brother O'Kane — that it seemed 
to carry every thing before it. All seemed spell-bound, 
and many were seen to tremble under his mighty ap- 
peals." This was a kind of Pentecostal occasion; for 
not only was a deep and lasting impression made in 
the city — or rather town — but the representatives and 
strangers from the several counties, like the " devout men 
out of every nation" at Jerusalem, carried with them, on 



334 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

their return to their homes, some knowledge of the faith 
as it was once delivered to the saints. 

Elder O'Kane made two or three other visits to the 
capital prior to the following June, at which time the 
Church of Christ at that place was organized with some 
twenty members. 

In January, 1833, he and Dr. R. T. Brown organized 
the Church of Christ at Connersville, Fayette county, to 
which place he soon after removed, and commenced the 
publication of a monthly religious paper called '' The 
Christian Casket.'^ While engaged in this enterprise he 
continued to preach the gospel throughout all Central 
and Eastern Indiana, occasionally making tours through 
portions of Ohio and Kentucky. 

In 1837 he removed to Crawfordsville, Montgomery 
county, where he resided for several years, having the 
pastoral care of the church in that place, and preaching 
extensively in the western and southwestern portions of 
the State. 

lu 1848 he returned to Connersville, and for a twelve- 
month labored efficiently in fields with which he had made 
himself familiar in former years. 

In 1849 he located at Indianapolis and engaged in the 
book and stationery business ; still proclaiming the gospel, 
however, both in that city and in many distant parts of 
the State. Everywhere his labors were attended with 
the most encouraging results, and to all the disciples of 
Indiana his name was as familiar as household words. 

About' this time was conceived the project of establish- 
ing the Northwestern Christian University, to meet the 
educational wants of a great and rapidly increasing bro- 
therhood. Into this enterprise Elder O'Kane entered 
heart and soul, and to him more than to any other indi- 
vidual its success is to be attributed ; for he, more than 
any other, raised the money with which the magnificent 



JOHN o'kane. 335 

bnilding was erected, and with which the corps of in- 
structors are sustained. In the Spring of 1851 he was 
appointed by the Board of Directors as a general agent 
and stock solicitor ; in which capacity he visited almost 
every nook and corner of the State, gathering, for the 
institution, a rich pecuniary harvest, and at the same 
time disseminating the good seed of the kingdom to meet 
the demands of other great and good enterprises in future 
times. 

In 1859 he removed to Independence, Missouri, where 
he has since resided, and where he is now separated from 
his friends and brethren in Indiana by a wall of fire. 
Consequently they have but little knowledge of his minis- 
terial operations in the Southwest ; yet they occasionally 
hear of his affairs — that he is a true patriot, and that he 
remains " steadfast, immovable,'' in the work of the Lord. 

It is to be regretted that, owing to the unhappy con- 
dition of the country, more ample materials for this sketch 
cannot be obtained. Unquestionably the subject of it was 
one of the most noted reformers of Indiana ; and his his- 
tory, if given in full, would be replete with good works, 
remarkable incidents, and anecdotes of the choicest kind. 
As for himself, he needs no historian to perpetuate his 
memory. He has made his mark upon the age ; his 
name is familiar to many a devout father, who will trans- 
mit it, in connection with fact and anecdote, to his chil- 
dren ; and thus he will be held in remembrance even to 
the third and fourth generations, though not a stone should 
be raised or a line written. 



Elder O'Kane is physically, as well as mentally and 
morally, a fine specimen of the genus homo. He is six 
feet and one inch high, very straight and slender. His 
fine head, covered with raven locks, sits with an air of 
majesty on his square shoulders ; and beneath his high, 



386 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

over-arching forehead, sparkle eyes remarkably black and 
piercing. He walks with an easy, don't-care gait, seem- 
ingly criticising, and inwardly laughing at every thing 
around him. He is certainly more like Democritus than 
Heraclitus — a laughing rather than a weeping philosopher. 

If his personal appearance is singular and upon the 
whole prepossessing, his character is eccentric and, take 
it all in all, worthy of imitation. A Phillips would find 
in it almost as many antitheses and yet as much con- 
sistency as he found in the character of Napoleon. 

Perhaps the most striking trait is his wit, and the 
anecdotes of John O'Kane, alone, would fill a volume. 
His witticisms are usually mixed with the severest sar- 
casm, or pointed with the bitterest irony. The following 
are a few inferior specimens : 

With a swaggering air an orthodox preacher once 
refused to debate with him, at the same time observing 
that he would gladly discuss the doctrinal issues with 
Alexander Campbell or some of the great leaders of the 
Reformation. Fixing his keen eyes upon him, and point- 
ing his long finger at him in the style of Randolph, 
O'Kane replied: ''You — you debate with Alexander 
Campbell ! Why if one of his ideas should get into your 
head, it would explode like a bom^ shell." 

On a certain occasion he was to preach in one of the 
many ill-constructed meeting houses with dark walls and 
very small windows. As he walked up the aisle, surveying 
every thing with a critical eye, he observed in an under- 
tone to a brother that was with him : '' Tell them to sing 

' JVs darkness here^ but Jesus smiles.'* 

At another time when preaching in an old rickety 
church, from the walls of which the plastering had fallen 
off in places, he solemnly exhorted his brethren not to 



JOHN o'kane. 38t 

neglect the Lord's house, at least while it was so low with 
erysipelasi, 

A certain adherent of one of the sects once met him, 
and, extending his hand, said, "Well, Brother John, I 
used to think you were an unprofitable servant, but I 
think diflferentlj now." "Indeed,'' replied O'Kane, sha- 
king his hand warmly, " that is precisely what I used to 
think of you, brother, hut I have never changed my mind.'^^ 

Just before he removed to Missouri, he fell in with one 
of those young preachers who, in the wisdom of their own 
conceits, urge the necessity of reforming the Reformation. 
"Brother O'Kane," said he, "the world will not stand still 
after A. Campbell dies. Luther performed a great work, 
but he left something for others to do. So did Wesley ; so 
we think will Campbell ; and if the Lord shall see proper to 
commit the direction of this Reformation to younger heads, 
be it so." "You young fellows lead this Reformation !" 
said O'Kane. "As well might one think of harnessing a 
lot of Shanghai chickens to a train of cars." 

Another young preacher was once complaining of the 
too small remuneration received for his services. " If the 
brethren do not support me," said he, " I will go where I 
can be supported." ^'When did you take the sop, brothei^." 
inquired O'Kane, slyly alluding to the Scripture which 
says that after Judas had dipped the sop, Satan entered 
into him. 

With all his wit and sarcasm an element of tenderness 
is strangely mingled, and the effect of the combination can- 
not be better described than in the words of a pious old 
brother who affirms that he has seen him " laughing out 
of one eye and the tears cowling out of the other. " 

With a dignified and apparently proud bearing he walks 
humbly before God, having never manifested a disposition 
to be greatest otherwise than by faithfully performing his 
duties as a servant. 
29 



338 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Ordinarily approachable, and unreserved in conversa- 
tion, he has the power to assume a stoical indifference to 
every thing around him, whenever it seems good in his 
sight. 

It is in the pulpit that he exerts his principal influence 
in behalf of the gospel. His commanding person, his ex- 
pressive eye, his clear, strong voice, and his free earnest 
gestures — all contribute to make him a most interesting 
and impressive speaker. He is well versed in the Scrip- 
tures, and familiar with all the dogmas incorporated into 
the several creeds, upon which instruments he sometimes 
lays a heavy hand. Yet after all, the effect is produced 
not so much by what he says as by the admirable manner 
in which he says it. 

As already intimated he does not occupy a high rank 
as a scholar ; and he is strongly disinclined to write for 
the benefit of the public. Hence his own editorial career 
was short, and his articles in other periodicals are but few. 

In the course of his ministry he has been engaged in 
many public discussions, in all of which he has triumph- 
antly vindicated the principles of the current Beformation. 
As a disputant he has but few superiors. 

Next after his achievements as a public speaker he has 
accomplished most as an agent, or solicitor of funds for 
benevolent purposes; for which office his pleasing address 
and above all his nice and ready discernment of character 
eminently fit him. Where almost any other man could 
not have obtained a cent, he obtained dollars and even 
hundreds of dollars. 

The tact which made him so successsful in this employ- 
ment, secured for himself also a more liberal support than 
that which fell to the lot of most pioneer preachers. 
Yet being a poor economist, and very careless in the 
management of pecuniary matters, he is in his old age 



JOHN o'kane. 339 

one of the poor whom God hath chosen to be heirs of the 
kingdom. 

Having remembered his Creator in the days of his 
youth, he has spent the Springtime and the Summer of 
his existence in the service of the Lord. Now that the 
Autumn of his days has come, and that his 

* ' way of life 
Is fallen in the sere and yellow leaf,'' 

the peaceable fruits of righteousness appear in rich pro- 
fusion ; and he has abundant reason to expect an exceed- 
ing great reward from Him whose '^eyes are open upon 
all the ways of the children of men, to give to every one 
according to his ways and according to the fruit of his 
doings." 



THOMAS LOCKHAET 



-«♦>- 



This venerable and indefatigable servant of God was 
born in Patrick county, Virginia, A. D. 1Y93. His father 
was brought up in the Presbyterian Church, where he 
vainly sought religion from early youth until he reached 
his seventieth year ! At that advanced age he united with 
the Dependent Baptists in Washington county, Indiana ; 
was immersed by Elder Peter Wright ; and about three 
years afterward went dow^n to the grave in peace. 
Through the influence of false religious teaching, a shadow 
rested upon almost his whole life. 

The mother of Elder Lockhart was for many years a 
Baptist. From her he received his first religious impres- 
sions ; and as he grew up, the articles of her faith were 
zealously inculcated in his mind. 

When thirteen years of age his parents removed with 
him to North Carolina, where he remained until he reached 
his majority. During his residence there the most of his 
associates were members of the Society of Eriends, among 
whom he imbibed many of the views of that peculiar 
people. 

In the Summer of 1814, while on a visit to Ohio, he 
volunteered his services in the war of 1812 ; and during 
the following Winter was stationed at Detroit. When 
his services were no longer required by his country he 
returned to Ohio, and subsequently to North Carolina. 

Previous to his visit to the West he had been sent to a 
common school about one year ; and on his return to 
North Carolina, after the war, he again went to school for 
340 





'o:^ 



THOMAS LOCKHART. 341 

a term of three months. In this short period he acquired 
the little mental discipline which he has turned to such 
excellent account. He might have become a much better 
scholar but for the fact that he expected to pass his life as 
an humble tiller of the soil, and entertained the foolish 
notion that, as such, he would never need much educa- 
tion. 

This being his view of life, he threw aside his books ; 
and, in the Fall of 1811, was married to Polly Jessup, a 
most zealous member of the Society of Friends. 

Soon after his marriage he removed to the West, and 
settled in Washington county, Indiana. There he found 
himself in the midst of Dependent Baptists, Friends, and 
a few adherents of some of the other sects. Being much 
concerned as to the subject of religion, he attended the 
various religious meetings held in his neighborhood, espe- 
cially those of the Friends and Baptists. Indeed, from his 
early youth, he had been most earnest in his efforts to '' get 
religion;" but it seemed that God only 'Maughed at his 
calamity, and mocked when his fear came." As it had 
been in his youth, so it continued to be in his riper years. 
The teachings of neither Friends nor Baptists afforded 
him any satisfactory knowledge of the plan of salvation ; 
and when he appealed directly to the Lord in prayer, it 
seemed that He would not answer. After a long, unsuc- 
cessful conflict, he sank into the conviction that he was a 
*' vessel of wrath fitted to destruction ;" and from this, he 
easily relapsed into absolute scepticism. 

At length, when his feet were almost gone, he chanced 
to hear some Newlight preacher, who, though still blind 
in part, understood the way of God more perfectly than 
did his former religious instructors. Though their views 
of conversion were much like the views of other denomi- 
nations the JSTewlights differed from those others in that 
they attached great importance to the Scriptures, and 



342 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

earnestly exhorted the people to search them diligently, 
and take them for the only man of their counsel. 

Agreeably to their instructions he became, for the first 
time in his life, a Bible reader, and from that book he 
soon derived more knowledge of Christianity than he had 
ever been able to acquire from the preachers of those 
days. With David he could say, '' I have more under- 
standing than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my 
meditation." 

In his case the law of the Lord proved to be ''perfect, 
converting the soul." He soon learned from the Scrip- 
tures what he must do to be saved ; and in the year 1832 
he publicly confessed the Saviour, and was buried with 
him in baptism by Elder Lewis Comer. His conversion, 
yea, his whole life, is a verification of that declaration of 
James, "■ Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, 
and continueth therein, the same being not a forgetful 
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed 
in his deed." Nor can one well contemplate the long 
period during which he was striving to enter in at the 
straight gate, without calling to mind that other scrip- 
ture which saith, '' If thou criest after knowledge, and 
liftest up thy voice for understanding ; if thou seekest 
her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures ; 
then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find 
the knowledge of God." 

The meeting at which he acknowledged the Saviour 
was held near the present town of Plainfield, in Hendricks 
county, whither he had removed from the county of 
Washington. This neat little Quaker village was not 
then laid out, and the great national thoroughfare on 
which it stands was but recently opened for emigrants to 
the West. 

On returning home from the meeting he found his wife 
in great distress on account of what he had done. They 



THOMAS LOCKHART. 343 

agreed to refer the whole matter to the law and the testi- 
mony, it being solemnly covenanted that the one unable 
to sustain his or her position, should at once embrace the 
views of the other. Never, perhaps, did woman strive 
more earnestly to accomplish any object, than did Mrs. L. 
to convince her husband of what she verily believed a 
fatal error. Often, when he unexpectedly entered the 
house, she hastily slipped the Holy Bible under her apron 
that he might not know that she had been preparing, in 
his absence, for the next discussion. She was finally 
brought to the knowledge of the truth ; was baptized ; 
and continued a faithful member of the Church of Christ 
until her death, which occurred in 1859. 

Other strenuous efforts were made to convert him 
to the Quaker faith, but he remained '^steadfast, un- 
movable." 

On the next Lord's day after his union with the church 
he took part with his brethren in prayer and exhortation. 
This he continued to do on all proper occasions for 
several months, at the end of which time he began to 
accompany Elder John Hadley on his preaching tours. 

As there were then but very few^ churches, they 
usually preached in private cabins or in leafy groves. 
Wherever they went the people gave heed to the things 
which they spake, and by their united efforts many were 
brought to the obedience of the faith. In their preach- 
ing they earnestly opposed all human creeds, and con- 
stantly advocated a union of all obedient believers on the 
Bible alone. 

In a short time he began to make appointments for 
himself; and as early as the year 1833 he had fairly 
entered into the work of the ministry. Since that time 
he has ceased not to preach Jesus, and to do what he 
could to bring the religious world to the unity of the 
faith and o^ the knowledge of the Son of God. 



344 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

About the year 1834 he was appointed by a co-opera- 
tive njeeting to travel as an evangelist, vi^ith John L. 
Jones. Together they proclaimed the ancient gospel 
throughout the counties of Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, 
and Morgan. Their views were strongly opposed, but 
their labors were attended with the most gratifying 
results. 

The witnessing of their success was their chief re- 
ward ; for Elder Lockhart, at least, did not receive over 
fifty dollars per annum for his services. For one congre- 
gation he preached once a month for three years, receiv- 
ing no remuneration save a twenty-five cent Testament, 
presented to him by one who, it may have been, had no 
disposition to read it himself. 

To support his family under such circumstances he car- 
ried on a farm, much of the labor upon which he performed 
by the light of the moon and stars, that he might find leis- 
ure to preach the gospel. Five times in the course of his 
life he has settled in the woods ; and each time added 
another to the fertile fields of Indiana. 

During the years 1837 and 1838 he extended his travels 
into Boone and Clinton counties. There were then in 
that section but few disciples and but very few churches. 
Opposition was strong, yet he sowed bountifully the in- 
corruptible seed, some of which fell upon good ground, 
and contributed to the rich harvest that has since been 
gathered in those counties. 

A peculiar feature of his ministry was the holding of 
what were called ^' Investigation Meetings,'' at which in- 
quiries were freely made and religious views freely dis- 
cussed. Through these meetings public attention was di- 
rected to the word of God ; and wherever that is directly 
studied, there the Reformation makes easy and rapid 
progress. 

From 1838 to 1850 he kept out regular monthly ap- 



THOMAS LOCKHART. 345 

poiatments, and went hither and thither wherever there 
was a demand for his services, or wherever there appeared 
an opportunity of doing good. Hendricks county was, 
however, the centre and chief field of his operations, and 
his influence was scarcely felt beyond the confines of cen- 
tral Indiana. Within those limits he was one of the shin- 
ing lights, not brilliant but constant. 

At Brownsburg, in the northern part of Hendricks 
county, he has labored most, and with the best results. 
When he first visited that point, about the year 1838, he 
found there only about seventeen disciples, who were bit- 
terly opposed by the Regular Baptists, of whom there 
was a large congregation at that place. This little church 
he set in apostolic order, and for it he has preached regu- 
larly until the present date. Through his labors some 
three hundred have been added to its number ; and from 
it three other flourishing congregations have derived their 
origin, namely those at Clermont, Fayette, and Pittsboro. 

For the church at Bellville, also, he has been the prin- 
cipal preacher for nearly a quarter of a century, and yet 
there are few religious teachers whose voice the people 
of that vicinity will follow more readily than his. In 
that congregation he has had his membership for twenty- 
four years ; and in that house of worship he has enjoyed 
the satisfaction of hearing every one of his children — seven 
sons and two daughters — confess the name of the Lord 
Jesus. 

Since 1850 he has greatly extended the area of his use- 
fulness, having made frequent visits to northern Indiana, 
and occasional tours through Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. 

During the whole course of his ministry he has held 
frequent protracted meetings, which have uniformly re- 
sulted in many additions to the saved. 

There is no earthly record of those whom he has turned 
from darkness to light; but the number of them is about 



346 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

four thousand, among wliom are many that are now pro- 
claiming the truth which has made them free. 

Thus, directly and indirectly, he has done much, espe- 
cially in an early day, to further the cause of the Reforma- 
tion, and to entitle him, when he leaves the world, to the 
grateful remembrance of his surviving brethren. 



Elder Lockhart is a large, heavy-set man, of great phys- 
ical power and endurance. His height is about five feet 
eight or nine inches, and his weight not far from one hun- 
dred and seventy-five pounds. He has dark, but not black 
hair, small, keen, blue eyes, a ruddy complexion, and a 
temperament highly excitable. There is an air of majesty 
about his fine, large forehead, and a look of thoughtfulness 
with a shade of sadness on his face ; yet his general ex- 
pression is one of cheerfulness, affability, and pleasant 
humor. His '^ earthly house of this tabernacle" has nobly 
resisted the encroachments of time, so that he is still stout 
and hearty, and but for the loss of his hair he would be, in 
appearance, but little beyond the meridian of life. 

Nor was nature less kind in the bestowment of his intel- 
lectual than of his physical powers ; but while the lattei 
were fully developed by the hard labor incident to his 
western life, the former received but little discipline from 
the few and inferior schools of earlier days. Having been 
compelled, also, to eat his bread in the sweat of his face, 
while preaching the gospel without money and without 
price, he has had but little time to cultivate his own mind, 
or store it with many facts save those which are connected 
with the great scheme of man^s redemption. Still he has 
a sound, well-balanced mind, and a thorough knowledge 
of the Scriptures, of which an almost incredible number 
of passages are stored away in his capacious and retentive 
memory. 

He is -simple and industrious in his habits ; plain and 



THOMAS LOCKHART. 34T 

old-fashioned in dress and manners. Ready in conversa- 
tion, and equally at home in the humblest cabin or in the 
society of the more wealthy and refined, he is very highly 
esteemed by all that know him, while in the eyes of many 
there has not risen a greater than *' Uncle Tommy." 

Upon his Christian character there is no serious stain. 
In the beautiful words of Job, he has put on righteousness 
ajid it has clothed him ; his judgment is as a robe and a 
diadem. On this account his words have great weight, 
and unto him — as they did to the man of Uz — men give 
ear, and wait and keep silence at his counsel. With 
respect to his special admirers it may be further said, that 
'' after his words they speak not again, and his speech 
drops upon them. They wait for him as for the rain, and 
open their mouth wide as for the latter rain." Job xxix. 

As a public speaker he occupies no mean rank among 
the men of his day. His ideas present themselves promptly; 
and his language is copious, though frequently inelegant 
and in rebellion against the laws of syntax. He is not a 
calm, logical reasoner, but an earnest and desultory de- 
claimer. He has a powerful voice of extraordinary com 
pass, and the words come sounding from his great, heaving 
chest, like the hollow utterances that escape from a vol 
cano. The chief source of his oratorical power is his 
excitable nature — his ability to throw his whole soul into 
his delivery and electrify his hearers. This he frequently 
does ; and, except at the beginning of his discourse, his 
manner is vehement throughout. He superabounds in 
quotations from Scripture, both relevant and irrelevant, 
and on this single account he is placed, by many, high 
above other workmen who better divide the word of truth. 
Nor is he satisfied with the written statements of the 
inspired witnesses. He authoritatively summons Paul 
and Peter into the presence of the congregation, and has 
them repeat their own words, which — he proceeds, in like 



348 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

manner, to show— precisely agree with the testimony of 
James and John. As he proceeds with the examination 
of his witnesses he becomes more and more excited, his 
voice ascends to a higher pitch, his feet become restless, 
his arms, even to his fingers' ends, twitch convulsively, the 
blood seems starting from the great veins upon his fore- 
head, and, before he sits down exhausted, it is strange if 
some are not saying in their hearts, Men and brethren 
what shall we do ? 

Though himself untutored, he has ever been a fast friend 
of education. He has done much by way of encouraging 
young men to qualify themselves for useful and honorable 
positions in life ; and he has done what he could to pro- 
vide for the mental culture of his own sons. All are 
qualified for the pursuits of agriculture and commerce ; 
some have gained admission to the legal and medical pro- 
fessions ; and one graduated at the N. W. C. University, 
and now holds a position to which he was appointed by 
the President of the United States. 

Though he has passed through many dark seasons, he 
is now realizing the promise, '' at evening it shall be 
light." His children, once a burden, now a support to 
his declining years ; his physical wants, once neglected, 
now well supplied by faithful brethren ; and the cause of 
God, once persecuted in the hands of a few uneducated 
defenders, now triumphing gloriously in the hands of a 
well-disciplined host ; he is able to say, with the aged 
Simeon, ^* Now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, 
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.^^ 





, o^-^ 





JACOB WEIGHT 



Although the son of one of the pioneers sketched in this 
volume, Elder Jacob Wright is entitled to a place among 
the first advocates of the Reformation in Indiana. He 
was born October the 9th, 1809, near Charlestown, darkens 
Grant, Indiana Territory. 

Early in the Spring of 1810, his father, John Wright, 
removed to a point on Blue River four miles south of Sa- 
lem, in the present county of Washington, though then 
within the limits of Harrison. He recollects distinctly 
when Salem was ?aid out by his father and the other 
county commissioners. Probably it received its name — 
city of peace — from Elder John Wright, the great advo- 
cate of peace among all the children of God. Among his 
earliest recollections are the thrilling incidents that oc- 
curred while his parents and their neighbors were shut 
up in forts to escape the tomahawks of the savages. 

Owing, therefore, to the circumstances surrounding him, 
in early life, his education was only on a par with that 
of other pioneers who grew up in the Western wilds. His 
father, realizing in his ministry the want of mental cul- 
ture, did all in his power to improve the minds of his sons; 
but Jacob, with the rest, acquired only a superficial know- 
ledge of the lower branches of an English education. 

His spiritual training was carefully superintended, es- 
pecially by his pious mother, whose holy life was a potent 
argument in favor of Christianity. But being of a lively 
and rather froward disposition, no deep impressions of a 
29 349 



350 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

religious character seem to have been made on his mind, 
in childhood or youth. 

At a very early age he was married to Miss Sarah 
Sheets, after which event he put away many youthful 
follies and became more sober-minded. From this state 
of mind the transition was easy and rapid to a state of 
religious anxiety which induced him to attend the meet- 
ings and listen to the teachings of the several denomina- 
tions. In so doing he well nigh made shipwreck of his 
faith on the fatal rock of doctrinal diversity. 

He had been taught that it was the part of charity to 
believe all men sincere in their religious views and candid 
in the statement of their respective experiences. There- 
fore his confidence in religion was severely shaken when 
he heard men earnestly endeavoring to inculcate doctrines 
as opposite as the poles, and all, at the same time, claim- 
ing to be directly colled and specially qualified by the 
Holy Spirit. He could not believe tlmt the Spirit of God 
inspired such contradictory doctrines ; therefore he con- 
cluded that those who honestly professed to have been 
specially called and qualified, were the victims of a delu- 
sion ; and if they were, so, perhaps, were all believers. 

When witnesses in earthly courts have already contra- 
dicted each other times without number, their testimony 
is good for nothing when they chance to agree upon a 
single point. So when these opposing sectaries agreed 
in witnessing the blessing to be obtained at the '^anxious 
seat," Elder Wright believed them not, and consequently 
resisted all the tearful entreaties of his friends, who would 
fain have seen him at that place of prayer. The religious 
leaders in those days did not seem to think that the sin- 
ner's path of duty terminated at the "mourner's bench ;" 
but at that point it became so obscure that it could scarcely 
be discerned even by the spiritualized eye of the called- 
and-sent preacher. In allusion to this fact Elder Wright 



JACOB WRIGHT. 351 

is wont to say, in his plain style : " The preachers wanted 
us sinners to do something in order to be saved ; but neither 
they nor we could ever clearly understand what that 
* something' was." But for these difficulties he would, no 
doubt, have obeyed the gospel long before he did ; and it 
is probable that he never would have obeyed it had not 
those dark places been illuminated by the dawning light 
of the Reformation. 

Finally, however, he heard some enlightened preacher 
observe that ''man's duty is simple and may be narrowed 
down to two points, faith and obedience. This remark 
directed his mind to something tangible ; and it was not 
long until both he and his wife were immersed, in humble 
submission to the will of the Lord. 

They united at once with the congregation of Free-will 
Baptists at Blue River, which church had been organized 
by his father on the apostolic foundation, and which, with 
all the surrounding Baptist churches, came into the Refor- 
mation at the time of the great union effected soon after 
between them and the Reformed Silver Creek Association. 

He immediately began to take part in the meetings for 
public worship ; and in a short time it was whispered 
about that he ought to preach the gospel. But to this 
he was firmly opposed ; for his father's experience had 
taught him that the minister's life is one of severe trial. 

While this matter was pending, he met with a severe 
affliction in the loss of his wife. She died of consumption 
in the Summer of 1832. 

Humbled by this sad dispensation of Providence, and 
seeing the fields on every hand '' ripe for the harvest," he 
yielded to the importunities of his friends, and resolved 
to devote his life to the service of the Lord. On the 
third Sunday in August, 1832, he was ordained to the 
work of the ministry. 

He was at that time in feeble health, and was thought 



352 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

to be in the first stage of consumption ; but he continued 
to preach the word with all the energy he could command, 
his labors being crowned with some success, and his 
health being finally restored. 

On the last day of March, 1833, he was married the 
second time, to Kachel Denny, who has been, and still is, 
a faithful helpmeet in the gospel. 

In May, 1834, he removed to Martinsburg, where he 
entered into the cabinet business. His cabinet shop was 
also, per necessity, his theological seminary. He used to 
keep a Bible on his work-bench ; and while resting he 
would read a few verses on which to reflect while he plied 
his tools. In this way he acquired much of that thorough 
knowledge of the Scriptures, for which he is now noted. 

While prosecuting his worldly business he did not neg- 
lect the ^^ great salvation. '' From the very first, his Sundays 
were regularly employed in the Master's service ; and each 
succeeding year the area of his operations was enlarged, 
his influence increasing in a direct ratio. 

During a portion of the year 1838, he preached monthly 
for the congregation at Coffee Creek ; and through his 
efficient labors the church increased from forty to over 
one hundred members. In the year 1839 he immersed 
about five hundred persons, and about four hundred the 
year following. Not all of these, however, were enlisted 
under his preaching alone ; for he travelled much in com- 
pany with his father, Jesse Mavity, Mordecai Cole, and 
the Littells — John T. and Absalom. 

Among other important achievements of the year 1839 
was the organization of the churches at Driftwood and 
Brown stown — churches which still continue to enlarge their 
borders, and through the instrumentality of which, many 
a ''mouldering heap,'' in the cemeteries hard by, will give 
up its inmate at the first resurrection. 



JACOB WRIGHT. 353 

These years — from 1838 to 1840 — were the most suc- 
cessful of his whole ministry. 

At the close of this period his usefulness as a preacher 
was seriously impaired, and for a while entirely destroyed, 
by his becoming entangled in the affairs of this life. By 
close economy and hard labor in his cabinet shop he soon 
acquired considerable means, which he invested in a steam 
flouring mill. In this enterprise he had a partner to whom 
he intrusted the management of the business, while he, 
for the most part, gave himself to the word. Under this 
arrangement the firm became involved in debts ; and the 
great financial crisis of 1840 coming upon them, in that 
situation, rendered them completely bankrupt. 

Up to that time his preaching had been almost gratu- 
itous, having received only about Jifty dollars during the 
last six years of his ministry. He, therefore, had no reason 
to look in that direction for pecuniary aid. 

Under these circumstances, and in view of the com- 
mandment to '* provide things honest in the sight of all 
men," he determined to quit preaching, and labor with 
his hands, at least until he could pay off all his debts. 
Accordingly he went to work as a house-carpenter, and 
by extraordinary exertions was fast liquidating the claims 
against him. 

But the brethren, especially those of Jackson county, 
were unwilling for him to abandon the evangelical field. 
They held that such a course on his part would either 
produce the impression that his faith had been shaken, or 
reflect upon his brethren for not giving a more liberal 
support to one who had made so many sacrifices and 
manifested so much zeal in the work. Therefore the 
churches at Driftwood, Brownstown, Pea Bidge, and 
Indiana Creek, met ^' in co-operation," and agreed that if 
he would resume the preaching of the word, as evangelist 
of Jackson county, they would remunerate him sufficiently 



354 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

to enable him to continue the payment of his debts. To 
this agreement he became a party; and since that time 
— October, 1841 — he has been (save one year) continually 
before the public as a minister of the gospel. 

From his journal of proceedings for the year 1842 it is 
ascertained that he preached for the four churches above- 
named, and also at Friendship, Leesville, and Leather- 
wood, in Lawrence ; Coffee Creek and Paris, in Jennings ; 
Sand Creek and Columbus, in Bartholomew; Harrods- 
burgh, in Monroe ; and Canton, in Washington county. 
The record also reveals the fact that during the year two 
hundred and seventy-eight persons were added to these 
several churches. 

He continued his labors in Jackson until the Fall of 
1844, during which time the disciples in that county 
were greatly multiplied. At other points also he held im- 
portant meetings, among which was one at Mill Creek, in 
Washington county, where fifty-five were added under his 
preaching alone. 

His health failing in the Fall of 1844, he removed to 
Salem, where he was employed during the year 1845 as a 
clerk in the dry-goods establishment of J. B. Berkey. 

When he entered the ministry the second time in 1841, he 
determined to seek some further scholastic attainments — 
at least to acquire the art of using with propriety the 
English language. Therefore when he engaged to preach 
for the churches in Jackson county, he also made arrange- 
ments to spend a portion of his time in a school taught 
by a brother Kichard Fisher. His main study was Kirk- 
ham's Grammar, with which he became quite familiar. He 
also acquired some further knowledge of the subject by 
attending the lectures of Dr. H. T. N. Benedict, of Bloom- 
ington, who was traversing the country as a teacher of 
the English language. 

Subsequently he fell in with a brother Newton Short, 



JACOB WRIGHT. 355 

by whom he was induced to begin the study of Greek. 
In order to encourage him, his patron gave him a Greek 
Testament, grammar, and lexicon, and also taught him 
the alphabet. After this humble beginning he continued 
for two or three years to wrestle with the declension of 
nouns and adjectives, and to grope his way slowly through 
the labyrinth of the verb. He obtained all the information 
he could from every scholar he chanced to meet ; and aside 
from this he had no assistance until he removed to Salem 
in 1844. There he placed himself for a few months under 
the instruction of Prof. John I. Morrison, formerly of the 
State University ; and by this means he was enabled to 
read the original text with tolefable proficiency. 

Only a few years ago he began the study of Hebrew, 
which subject, like the Greek, has been pursued under 
many difficulties and mainly without a master. He does 
not profess to be proficient in either language, but he has 
learned a sufficiency of both to be able by means of his 
lexicons to determine in most cases the true meaning of 
the Scriptures. Thus it appears that he has pursued an 
irregular course — not thorough by any means, but sur- 
passing in length even the curriculum of the German 
Universities I 

On the first of January, 1846, he resumed his labors 
in the ministry, engaging to preach for the churches at 
Greensburg, Milford, Clifty, and Clarksburg, in Decatur 
county. These congregations he found in a weak, luke- 
warm condition ; but at the end of two years he left them 
zealous, prosperous, and happy. While employed in De- 
catur he also reached over into Franklin county, where he 
organized a church of some forty members. This was 
in a community previously under the influence of the 
United Brethren, several of whom entered into the new 
organization. 

In the Spring of 1848 he commenced preaching monthly 



356 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

for the churches at Salem, and New WashiDgton, Clarke 
county, reserving the remainder of his time for holding 
protracted meetings at various points. For the space of 
three years he successfully served the church at New 
Washington. With the exception of one year he has 
preached one-fourth of his time at Salem since 1848. 
During this long period the church has passed through 
many vicissitudes, has experienced many expansions and 
contractions ; but it still listens with unabated interest to 
the instructions of its long-tried pastor. 

In March, 1851, he held a meeting, in New Albany, 
which resulted in several additions, and gave such satis- 
faction to the congregation that they employed him to 
visit them once a month for one year. During the next 
year he preached for them three-fourths of his time, and 
half his time during the year following. In the three 
years about one hundred and twenty-five were added to 
the congregation, which was otherwise greatly strength- 
ened. 

In the meantime he also organized a new church at 
Georgia, on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. This 
was composed largely of those who had formerly been 
Baptists. 

During the years 1855-56 he served the churches at 
Milroy, in Rush, and Clifty, in Decatur county. 

In November, 1858, he returned to his old field of 
labor at Driftwood, where he has since continued to 
preach once a month Through his zealous ministry 
nearly the whole community have been converted to the 
faith of the gospel. 

About this time a rather remarkable meeting took 
place at Courtland, Jackson county. The Methodists, 
Baptists, and Disciples of that locality had united their 
means and erected a union meeting-house. All parties 
claiming a share in the dedication. Elder Wright was 



JACOB WRIGHT. 357 

invited to represent the Christian element on that occa- 
sion. Arriving at the appointed time, and finding that 
the building would not be completed for several days, he 
determined to have a few valedictory exercises in the old 
house of worship. He accordingly delivered four dis- 
courses on the subject of Christian Union, at the conclu- 
sion of which one of the class-leaders arose and expressed 
his determination to embrace the Reformation. He 
paused long enough, how^ever, to deliver a powerful ex- 
hortation to the members of his class, about twenty of 
whom — all but one or two — took their stand with him 
on the Bible alone. Thus, while the workmen were 
finishing the union house, Elder Wright, as a workman 
that needeth not to be ashamed, was preparing a united 
people to occupy it ! Through the increased moral power 
resulting from this more perfect union, not less than forty 
or fifty others were brought into the heavenly family 
before the close of the meeting. 

But it is not designed to enumerate even a tithe of the 
meetings which he has held with signal advantage to the 
cause of reform ; and perhaps those already referred to 
are sufficient to illustrate, with justice to himself, the 
manner in which he has been employed, and the success 
that has attended his efforts for the last thirty years. A 
line indicating all his travels would pass through, at least, 
the counties of Decatur, Rush, Franklin, Bartholomew, 
Jennings, Johnson, Morgan, Monroe, Owen, Lawrence, 
Jackson, Martin, Washington, Jefferson, Floyd, Greene, 
Davis, Sullivan, Clark, Scott, Orange, and Harrison. 
Indeed, his field has embraced almost the whole of 
southern or southeastern Indiana, which district he has 
traversed again and again ; for it has been his custom not 
only to plant, but also to revisit and confirm. He has 
organized many new churches, set up many altars that 
had fallen down, and, from the data at hand, the number 



858 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

of his proselytes cannot be much less than five thou- 
sand. 

But Elder Wright has rendered important services in 
another department. He is emphatically ''the disputer" — 
if not " of this world/' at least of the State of Indiana, 
It is as a debater that he has especially distinguished 
himself, though he was a weak opponent in the beginning. 
In a brief sketch like this, his numerous discussions can- 
not be dwelt upon ; but justice demands that they shall, 
at least, be enumerated as follows : 

1. His first was with a Methodist preacher by the name 
of John Bailes. It occurred at Martinsburg, about the 
year 1835. 

2. His next debate, which was on slavery, also took 
place at Martinsburg, in 1836. His opponent was one 
Dr. Suggs, an Englishman, who is said to have had a 
liberal share of the braggart spirit for which his country- 
men are remarkable. In this respect Elder Wright was 
also fully up to the American standard ; and conscious of 
Yankee superiority and the justice of his cause, he ac- 
cepted the disadvantage of affirming a negative, viz., that 
^'American slavery is not according to the revealed will 
of God." This he was compelled to do, or be reproached 
with " backing out ;" for the Doctor, with genuine English 
obstinacy, insisted upon the proposition in that form as a 
sine qua non. The moderators decided in favor of freedom. 

3. At the same place and within the same year, he had 
a sharp engagement with a Mormon apostle, by the name 
of Emmet. 

4. His next collision with one of the contrary part was 
at Brownstown, Jackson county, in 1839. It was an in- 
significant, extempore affair, in which he was opposed by 
the Rev. Philip May, of the M. E. Church. 

5. This was followed by a regular discussion with a 
Methodist preacher by the name of Walker. The subjects 



JACOB WRIGHT. 359 

discussed were, " The Influence of the Holy Spirit in Con- 
version and Sanctification," ''Infant Baptism," and " Im- 
mersion. '^ The debate began at Leesville, Lawrence 
county, August 1st, 1842, and continued three days. Be- 
fore leaving the ground. Elder Wright immersed twenty- 
two ; and before the approach of Winter he immersed 
more than one hundred and fifty in that immediate vicinity. 

6th. On the 21th of June, 1843, he met Erasmus Man- 
ford, the Universalist editor, in a discussion which took 
place at Columbus. On this occasion, his antagonist had 
the advantage of him in education and experience ; and 
it is the part of candor to express the opinion that the 
result was against him. 

T. In the Spring of 1846, and near Clarksburg, Deca- 
tur county, he had a sharp but irregular contest with the 
Kev. Williamson Terrell, a Methodist itinerant. The 
substance of this debate, with the causes that led to it, 
has since been published by Elder Wright, in a pamphlet 
of sixty-six pages. 

8. In October, 1848, he debated five days with Mr. 

Foster, (Universalist,) at New Washington, Clark 

county. This time he was more successful than in his 
former discussion of Universalism. At the close he im- 
mersed about fifty persons ; and it is said that " the final 
holiness and happiness of all mankind" was not again 
preached in that place for several years. 

9. His ninth engagement was at Salem, in 1850, with 
a travelling phrenologist, who, in harmony with thai 
whole race, was inculcating infidel sentiments. 

10. From the 2d to the 10th of August, 1859, he de- 
bated, at Palmyra, with Dr. E. E. Rose, (Methodist,) on 
the following ten propositions : 

First. Does the Holy Spirit ever operate, in the convic- 
tion, conversion, or sanctification of a person, apart from 
the revealed or written word of God ? Affirmative, Rose. 



360 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Second. Did the baptism of the Holy Spirit cease with 
the death of the apostles ? Affirmative, Wright. 

Third. Has the Church been one and the same under 
both the Old and New Testaments, and children of be- 
lieving parents entitled to membership and baptism there- 
in ? Affirmative, Rose. 

Fourth. Is immersion the one only apostolic baptism ? 
Affirmative, Wright. 

Fifth. Is sprinkling or pouring apostolic baptism? 
Affirmative, Rose. 

Sixth. Is immersion a necessary condition of justifica- 
tion or pardon ? Affirmative, Wright. 

Seventh. Is the Methodist Episcopal Church, as such, 
a part of the Church of Christ ? Affirmative, Rose. 

Eighth. Is the Church of Christ, which is frequently 
called ^'Campbellite," in its organization and form of gov- 
ernment, the Church of Christ ? Affirmative, Wright. 

Ninth. No church or council has a right to make a dis- 
cipline or creed for the government of the Church of 
Christ. Affirmative, Wright. 

Tenth. Is it the will of God that all Christians should 
be visibly united in one body ? Affirmative, Wright. 

11. In 1860 he again debated with Dr. Rose, at Worth- 
ington, Greene county. The propositions were almost the 
very same. 

12. In November of the same year he had a discussion 
with Nathan Hornaday, at North Salem, Hendricks county, 
on the following propositions : 

First. Has the kingdom of God, spoken of by Daniel, 
ii. 44, been set up or organized ? Affirmative, Wright. 

Second. Does the soul of man survive the death of the 
body, and remain conscious after the death of the body ? 
Affirmative, Wright. 

Third. Do the Scriptures teach that the ^'everlasting 



JACOB WRIGHT. 361 

punishment" of the finally impenitent will be utter extinc- 
tion ? Affirmative, Hornadaj. 

13. His last public debate, in which he was opposed by 
Rev. T. S. Brooks, (Methodist,) began August 1st, 1861, 
and continued seven days. 

Thus ends the long chapter of his public discussions, 
which, in connection with what precedes it, will exhibit 
to the reader the part which Elder Wright has performed 
in the current Reformation. For thirty years he has en- 
dured "hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ;" and, 
through the kindness of the Heavenly Father, he still 
stands upon the walls of Zion, clad in the full armor of 
God, and brandishing with a strong arm 'Hhe sword of the 
Spirit." 



Elder Wright is a small, sinewy man, black-haired, 
black-eyed, and of a rubicund complexion. His form, his 
features, his dress, his gait — every thing about him indi- 
cates that he is, in a good sense, a busy-body, a man of 
deeds, as well as pretensions not a few. He is never 
weary in well doing, and whatever his hands find to do he 
does with his might. 

His mind is well-balanced and well-informed, especially 
upon theological subjects. He sees a point readily and 
clearly, and reasons forcibly from cause to effect. In 
phrenological terms firmness is large, combativeness larger, 
self-esteem largest. 

He is rather original and profound in his mental opera- 
tions, hence the fact that he has preached for the congre- 
gation at Salem during the past sixteen years, without 
exhausting his intellectual resources. He is far from be- 
longing to that class of preachers who deliver a few dis- 
courses with great effect, and after that have no more tbat 
they can do. 

His manner of preaching is plain, straightforward, en- 
31 



362 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

ergetic, authoritative. He speaks with tolerable fluency, 
yet he is not rich in language ; and his gestures are im- 
pressive rather than pleasing. He deals exclusively in 
facts, and carries his point by sheer force of logic. Though 
not harsh and repulsive in his elocution, yet he is destitute 
of pathos, and ordinarily incapable of delivering a touch- 
ing exhortation. 

In debate he is prompt, discerning, perfectly candid, and 
mild even to a fault ; therefore he contends more success- 
fully against an able opponent than against a deceitful 
quibbler. From the number of public discussions in which 
he has been engaged, it would be inferred that he is not 
only combative, but habitually aggressive. Such, however, 
is not the case ; for in the most, if not in all of his regu- 
lar debates, he has been the challenged party. 

In the world as in his profession, he shows " uncor- 
ruptness, gravity, sincerity." Though in every respect a 
positive man, yet he is humble, frank, affable, and there- 
fore popular, especially among the common people. 
Wherever he has gone preaching he has a host of friends, 
with whom his example avails not less than his precepts. 

Poor in this world's goods, yet rejoicing in prospect of 
a heavenly inheritance, he still proclaims the glad tidings 
of salvation, resolved to devote the remainder of his days 
to the advocacy of the principles for which he has so long 
plead, and which he is fully persuaded will eventually pre- 
vail over the whole earth. 





/ ^' 






^ /^-^;^W^^^ti^ 



B. K. SMITH 



-«♦► 



Elder Butler Kennedy Smith was born in Spartans- 
burgh District, South Carolina, on the sixteenth day of 
September, ISOT. When he was an infant his father dis- 
posed of his possessions in South Carolina, intending to 
emigrate to Indiana Territory; but, changing his purpose, 
he settled in the adjoining District of Union, where Butler 
K. spent the happy days of his childhood. 

In the Spring of 1S11 his father carried out his long 
cherished design of removing to the Northwest. In April 
of that year he reached Indiana, and soon after entered 
land on the head waters of West river, in Wayne county. 
Here in the wild woods — theirs being the extreme frontier 
house for a long while — Butler K. passed the remaining 
years of his minority. 

In a country like that there could be no such thing 
as a school ; consequently he never suffered from that 
*' weariness of the flesh" which is produced by " much 
study." He had been taught to read before leaving his 
native State ; and with this ability he gleaned what 
information he could from the few books owned by his 
father, and from the newspapers, which at long intervals 
found their way into the neighborhood. In the course of 
a few years, however, a respectable school was established, 
in which he acquired a pretty thorough knowledge of 
arithmetic, and was shown a little way into the symbolic 
mysteries of algebra. This, with the general knowledge 
since gathered by the wayside, is the sum total of his 
education. 

363 



364 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

The circumstances surrounding him were equally un- 
favorable to moral and religious culture. It was only 
occasionally that a Methodist itinerant left an appoint- 
ment in the neighborhood ; and the nearest Baptist church, 
of which both his parents were members, was ten or twelve 
miles distant — entirely beyond his range. At a distance 
of three or four miles there was a Society of Friends, 
whose meetings he frequently attended, but without once 
hearing a discourse exceeding five minutes in length. 
His religious training devolved, therefore, on his parents, 
by whom he was thoroughly indoctrinated according to 
the creed of the Calvinistic Baptists. 

In the course of a few years a couple of Baptist mis- 
sionaries established a station at his father's house ; and 
from that time he heard one or more of the '' five points" 
expounded every month. Under this preaching several 
persons professed to have ^' obtained a hope,'' and among 
the number was Carey Smith, the eldest brother of Butler K. 
These fresh recruits, together with a few old soldiers of 
the cross — nine in all — were organized as a " Baptist 
Church of Jesus Christ," which was christened '' Bethle- 
hem." William Smith, the father of B. K., was made 
deacon, and Carey was ordained as pastor, with license 
'' to preach and exhort wherever God in his providence 
should cast his lot." 

Thus a church was brought near to Elder Smith, but 
from the gospel he was as far removed as ever. He strove 
to enter in at the straight gate, but all his efforts were 
ineffectual. By constant exertion he worked himself into 
the belief that he had obtained what his parents and 
brother denominated a ''trembling hope;" but his ''ex- 
perience" being unsatisfactory, his " hope" was evanes- 
cent. He finally reached the following conclusions, which 
are stated in his own language : 

1. That I was one of the non-elect. Such being the 



BUTLER K. SMITH. 365 

case, the present life was all I could promise myself any 
enjoyment in ; consequently the less I thought about a 
future state the better. 

2. If I was of the elect the Lord's time for efTectually 
calling me had not yet come ; consequently any effort, on 
my part, to forestall the divine arrangement would be 
useless, if not sinful. 

3. That the whole matter of religion was but a farce, 
gotten up by priest-craft to gull the superstitious and 
weak-minded. 

Such being his convictions, the Bible was laid aside, 
and Burns' Poems became his favorite pocket companion. 
In ^' Holy Willie's Prayer," ^^ Kirk's Alarm," ^'Ordination," 
and " Holy Fair," he specially delighted, because of the 
clear light in which they exposed the absurdity of the 
Calvinistic theory. A decent self-respect and the early 
counsel of his parents kept him from descending to gross 
immoralities ; but, for a long while, the fear of God was 
not before his eyes. 

In the Fall of 1823 or '24 his brother Carey, mounted 
on a sorry nag and an old weather-beaten saddle, set out 
on a preaching tour through Kentucky and other Southern 
States. In Kentucky he fell in with ''The Christian Bap- 
tist," with which he was so well pleased that he ordered 
two copies of the work, as far as published, to be sent to 
Indiana, one to his own address, the other to that of his 
father. Thus his apparently unpromising mission was 
the means of introducing the primitive gospel and the 
ancient order into Wayne and other counties of Eastern 
Indiana. 

He lived to see many churches grow up under the 
labors of himself and others. Finally he went on a mis- 
sion to the South, under the special patronage of Elder 
A. Campbell, and fell a victim to the Southern climate 
soon after reaching his field of labor. He died at Fayette, 



366 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Miss., on the 2*7 th of January, 1841, in the forty-first 
year of his age, and about the eighteenth of his ministry. 
He was among the very first of the pioneer preachers of 
Indiana, but his career was of short duration, and confined 
to the day of small things. 

By the reading of the ^* Christian Baptist," Butler K.'s 
objections to Christianity were removed one by one. 
Gradually the fog of false teaching and consequent skep- 
ticism rolled away, and he saw once more the water of 
life, with full assurance that he might approach and par- 
take freely. But on the principle embodied in the old 
adage, "A burnt child dreads the fire," he approached 
very slowly and cautiously. It was not until the Spring 
of 1832 that he obeyed the gospel, being baptized some 
six miles southwest of Indianapolis, by an aged and semi- 
reformed Baptist preacher by the name of William Irvine 
—alias ^' Uncle Billy." 

Prior to this event, however, some changes worthy of 
note had taken place. For the purpose of establishing 
themselves in the business of blacksmithing — which trade 
was a kind of heirloom in their family — he and his bro- 
ther Carey had removed to Indianapolis, at which place 
they arrived on the 1st of February, 1829 ; and, on the 
11th of November, 1831, he had married Miss Sarah 
Bristow, the third daughter of Peyton Bristow, Esq., of 
Marion county. 

At the time of their removal to Indianapolis, there was 
at that place a Baptist church, which had reported itself 
to the '' Christian Baptist" as reformed ; but it was still 
so far from the ancient order that Carey Smith refused to 
unite with it, and attached himself to a congregation in 
the country designated by the significant name of Liberty 
church. At the period of Butler K.'s immersion, the said 
Liberty church was arraigned before the Indianapolis 
Association on the charge of heresy, and the so-called 



BUTLER K. SMITH. 367 

Reformed church was taking an active part in the prose- 
cution. Therefore the little church which was organized 
in the ''Bottom/' (or six miles from town on the Bluff 
road,) and of which Elder Smith and his wife were ori- 
ginal members, did not report itself to the Association, 
but assumed an independent form of government, adopt- 
ing the New Testament as its constitution or creed. They 
also recognized the principle of weekly communion ; and, 
as far as they understood it, conformed in all things to 
the order observed by the primitive churches. In this 
faithful little congregation he retained his membership 
until the 12th day of June, 1833, on which day was organ- 
ized ''The Church of Jesus Christ at Indiano,polis, Indi- 
ana.''^ The organization was effected at the house of a 
brother Benjamin Roberts, Peter H. Roberts and John 
H. Sanders being chosen as the first overseers. 

When the disciples met together on the next '' first day 
of the week to break bread,'' not an officer of the church 
was present. But there were a faithful few who were 
not ashamed of the gospel ; and there were quite a num- 
ber of spectators, anxious to see how those " Campbell- 
ites" would conduct a meeting without a preacher. 

For a while it was conducted in the most approved 
Quaker style. JSTot one of the members present had ever 
spoken in public, and every one's ''tongue seemed to 
cleave to the roof of his mouth." When the suspense 
became intolerable, Elder Smith went forward, took up a 
collection of Baptist hymns — there was then no Christian 
hymn-book — and began to search for a suitable song. 
The prayer that he was soon to make in public was press- 
ing with mountain weight upon his mind ; and, fearing 
that he might make a failure, he selected the familiar 
hymn beginning with a definition of prayer especially 
favorable to him on that occasion, viz. : 



368 PIONEER PREACHERS, 

" Prayer is tlie soul's sincere desire, 
Uttered or unexpressed.^^ 

This hymn he read and lined out as it was sung, thinking 
by that means to throw off his embarrassment before the 
arrival of the critical moment. But the last stanza being 
ended, his heart failed him, and he sat down, overwhelmed 
by a sense of dizziness and blindness. One or two other 
brethren attempted to lead in the exercises, but each and 
all failed precisely where Elder Smith had failed. Thus 
the first meeting adjourned, the loaf being unbroken, not 
a single prayer having been offered. 

This mortifying failure taught the disciples that elders 
and deacons alone were not to be depended upon ; but that 
it was the duty, as well as the privilege, of all, *' to offer 
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. " 
Realizing this, and seeing clearly that the church would 
go to ruin if such abortive meetings were permitted to 
recur. Elder Smith added to his faith courage, and at once 
stepped forward into the front rank of that little faltering 
band. 

To obviate the difficulty growing out of the absence of 
the officers, two more elders and as many additional 
deacons were appointed. Of the latter. Elder Smith was 
made one ; though he still retained the office of sexton — 
sweeping, warming, an dilluminating the old school-house, 
which was the pro tempore *^ Christian chapel." Ever 
faithful and punctual in his attendance, he gave the sacred 
emblems to the disciples ; and in the absence of all four 
of the elders, he officiated at the table. 

In a short time he became one of the overseers of the 
congregation, which position he occupied until Elder L. H, 
Jameson was installed as pastor of the congregation, in 
October, 1842. At that time Elder Jameson was ordained 
as an evangelist, Ovid Butler as bishop, and some three 



BUTLER K. SMITH. 369 

other brethren as deacons. His last official act, as an 
elder of that congregation, was to preside over the Pres- 
bytery which officiated on that occasion. 

Shortly afterwards he was himself ordained as ^' an 
evangelist at large ;'' and thus released from all personal 
responsibility as to the management, government, and 
edification of the Indianapolis church. 

In his watchful care over that congregation, and his 
zealous efforts to extend its borders, he had greatly neg- 
lected his own business, and had consequently lost very 
much of the liberal patronage he once received. More- 
over, his location at that central point, and his position 
as elder of the church at the capital, enabled him to form 
but too many acquaintances, and constrained him to 
receive but too many calls from his brethren in different 
parts of the State. His house was for many years a 
Disciples' Inn, and his stable was usually well filled with 
horses not his own. 

Owing to these combined causes he became greatly 
involved in debt ; and finally had to dispose of his town 
property (that would be a fortune to him now) at a great 
sacrifice, and remove to a farm several miles in the country. 
There he worked hard to retrieve his former losses ; and 
in the course of a few years, frowning poverty was suc- 
ceeded by smiling plenty. During these years of severe 
manual toil he did not wholly forsake the word of life ; 
but on almost every Sunday he rode away from one to ten 
miles, preached one or two discourses, and returned the 
same day. 

Early in the year 1849 he was solicited by the co-ope- 
ration meeting to evangelize in the county of Johnson. 
This call he accepted ; and, in April, entered into his new 
field at a salary of three hundred dollars per annum. The 
principal churches composing the '^ co-operation" were at 
Franklin, Mount Auburn, Edinburg, and Williamsburgh. 



3t0 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

For these, and in destitute places, he labored with such 
success, that he was employed to evangelize another year 
in connection with Elder Ara Rollings worth. 

Anxious that he should devote his whole time and 
attention to the work of the ministry, his brethren, at the 
commencement of the second year, urged him to lease out 
his farm for a term of years, at the same time making 
him verbal and indefinite promises of a liberal support. 
Yielding to their requests, and abandoning the farm— his 
only sure base of operations — his supplies were soon cut 
off ; and by the close of the year he found himself reduced 
almost to absolute want. But this return of financial 
embarrassments only exemplified still further the apostle^s 
declaration that *^all things work together for good to 
them that love God. " By the irresistible force of circum- 
stances he was compelled to visit other and distant points, 
where he hoped to find more liberality, and at least equal 
opportunities of doing good. In this way he made him- 
self known to many brethren who, perhaps, would never 
have heard of him had he continued a successful tiller 
of the soil. Thus his area of usefulness was widely 
extended ; and he was forced to fulfill the hitherto un- 
fulfilled conditions of his commission as ^'evangelist at 
large, '' 

Though his labors were arduous, he fared sumptuously 
every day, and so far as himself was concerned he could 
have enjoyed this itinerant service very well. But every 
dainty morsel was robbed of its relish by the recollection 
that his wife and children were subsisting on the cheapest 
and coarsest fare ; and as he sat by the fireside of the 
thrifty farmer — father, mother, sisters, brothers, all pre- 
sent, the happy circle unbroken — his mind was filled with 
sad thoughts of a very different scene beneath his own 
distant roof But remembering the words, " He that 
loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of 



BUTLER K. SMITH. 311 

me," he sustained the cross, and continued to point the 
people to Him whom, for their sakes, the cross sus- 
tained. 

Having spent some two years in these desultory labors, 
he was invited to take the pastoral charge of the congre- 
gation at Harrison, in Dearborn county. This call he 
accepted, and removed to Harrison in the Spring of 
1853. The congregation at that place gave him three 
hundred dollars for half his time, and two churches in 
Kentucky gave him the same amount for the remainder. 
Thus he received a salary of six hundred per annum, 
which was more than sufficient to supply the temporal 
wants of his family. At this point he spent two of the 
happiest years of his life, the success of the gospel being 
not the least cause of his rejoicing. 

In May, 1855, he returned to his farm near Indianapo- 
lis, where he has continued to reside. From that time to 
the present he has preached regularly for some two or 
three congregations, and has gone hither and thither 
throughout Central Indiana, preaching the gospel of the 
kingdom, establishing new churches, edifying old ones, 
healing dissensions, and provoking to love and good 
works. 

In addition to his preaching he has exerted a considera- 
ble influence, and become somewhat distinguished as a 
writer. He wields a vigorous pen, which, for the last 
fifteen or twenty years, has been industriously employed 
in contributing to the various Christian periodicals. 

He is now, and has been from the beginning, a punc- 
tual and working member of the Board of Directors of 
the N. W. C. University. He also acts a prominent part 
in the management of County, District, and State Meet- 
ings; and is well known as a true friend of education, an 
active and liberal supporter of missions, both home and 
foreign, and of every institution, human or divine, which 



372 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

tends to the physical improvement, mental illumination, 
or spiritual elevation of his race. 



Of the personal appearance of Elder B. K. Smith, no 
written description is necessary. By one glance at the 
portrait accompanying this sketch, the inquirer will ob- 
tain a better idea of that than it is in the power of words 
to convey. Like the ancient Eli, he is '' an old man and 
heavy. ^^ He has too much sound sense to attempt to 
adorn such a person as his with fine clothes ; therefore he 
dresses in very plain style, his main object being to give 
the respiratory organs full play, and to guard against the 
suffocating effects of heat. 

His mental machinery is not of the most ponderous 
kind ; but his inexhaustible supply of physical force runs 
it at a furious rate. Impelled by this bodily vigor, his 
mind easily surmounts obstacles which would be insuper- 
able to a superior intellect inhabiting a frailer tenement. 
But the Lord has given him more than one talent, though 
he may not have given him five. Such are his abilities, 
natural and acquired, that when the Master comes to 
reckon with his servants, he may truly say, ''Lord, thou 
deliveredst unto me two talents ; behold, I have gained 
two other talents besides them.'' He is a bold, original 
thinker, who attempts the solution of the most intricate 
problems in theology, and who usually throws some addi- 
tional light on subjects the most difficult to elucidate. 

He is an edifying, stirring speaker — fluent, impressive, 
and oft-times affecting even to tears. His voice is deep 
and powerful, but under perfect control ; his gestures are 
natural, and therefore appropriate ; his countenance glows 
with animation; and his whole manner is so earnest as 
to force upon his hearers the conviction that " from the 
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." He is fond 
of doctrinal subjects ; but he faithfully reminds his breth- 



BUTLER K. SMITH. 3^3 

ren of the practical precepts of the gospel. He opposes 
at all points those who resist the truth ; yet in so doing 
he does not assume the authoritative air of the Saviour 
when he said, '^ generation of vipers," but rather that 
sympathetic mood in which he exclaimed, ^' Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest 
them that are sent unto thee." 

In all things he endeavors to please him who has called 
him to be a soldier. Therefore he does not suffer himself 
to become much entangled in the affairs of this life ; but 
the affairs themselves — especially his own — are apt to 
become greatly entangled. He is not remarkable for the 
possession of great tact, or superior business qualities ; 
and his hump of order would hardly be found by the clumsy 
fingers of some pseudo-phrenologists. 

He is a man of warm and generous emotions — kind, 
forgiving, tender-hearted, ardently attached to his family 
and friends. Above all other objects he prizes ''the king- 
dom of God and his righteousness" — 

''The church our blest Redeemer saved 
With his own precious blood.'' 

For it he has toiled and suffered, denying himself the 
pleasures, the riches, the honors — all the ''vain pomp and 
glory of this world." In its service he is fully resolved to 
spend the remainder of his days, with a firm reliance on 
the promise, " They that be wise shall shine as the bright- 
ness of the firmament, and they that turn many to right- 
eousness as the stars forever and ever." 



BENJAMIN F. EEEVE 



-MM- 



Elder Benjamin F. Keeve was born in Prince William 
county, Virginia, on the 28th of October, 1198. He is of 
Welch descent with a slight mixture of Scotch and Irish. 
Tradition has it, that, very early in the history of this 
country, four brothers by the name of Reeve emigrated 
from Europe and settled in four different and distant parts 
of what is now the United States ; and that from the said 
brothers have descended all of that name in America. 

Near the beginning of the present century his grand- 
father, Asa Reeve, removed from Virginia to Fleming 
county, Kentucky, where he died more than forty years 
ago. He was a most zealous Methodist, and the most of 
his family embraced the faith in which they were brought 
up. Two of his sons became Methodist preachers, but 
Benjamin, the father of Benjamin F., never made any pro- 
fession of religion ; and especially did he not receive the 
doctrines of the Methodists. He rejected all creeds, hu- 
man and diviDC, and made one for himself, which con- 
tained only a single article, namely, Whatsoever things are 
honest. He was careful to observe but one commandment : 
'' Thou shalt not steal. " He employed in his family but one 
exhortation : ^' Let us walk honestly, as in the day.''^ With 
him, as with multitudes now, honesty constituted the whole 
of religion : upon it hung all the law and the prophets ; as 
if the Messiah had said to his apostles, ''Go ye into all the 
world and preach honesty to every creature. He that 
deals honestly according to the decisions of his own mind 
374 





crc^yL^ y^-r^^''^^^^^^-^^ 




'a^,^^-^'/^ c^/ 




BENJAMIN F. REEVE. 375 

shall be saved, but he that defrauds in any matter shall be 
damned." This being his faith, he sought to implant no 
other in the minds of his children, who therefore grew up 
as free from religious bias as it is possible for human 
nature to be. 

When Elder Reeve was six years old his father removed 
from Virginia to Kentucky, and settled in Mason county, 
about six miles below Maysville and near the Ohio river, 
whose waters were then disturbed only by the light canoe 
of the Red Man and the clumsy keels of the Whites. 
When quite young he was sent to school until he learned 
to spell, read and write with tolerable proficiency. When 
sufficiently old to work, he employed his time mainly in 
agricultural pursuits, yet he went to school more or less 
each winter until he arrived at manhood. He then at- 
tended a kind of high school for a year or two, in which, 
by diligent application, he acquired what was then re- 
garded as an excellent English education. 

Soon after completing his studies he was married to 
Miss Elizabeth D. Driskell. She subsequently followed 
him into the Reformation, and has long since preceded 
him to the Spirit land. 

After his marriage he engaged in the business of teach- 
ing, which he prosecuted successfully and exclusively for 
fifteen years. At the expiration of that time he aban- 
doned the profession, having demonstrated by actual ex- 
periment that, by teaching, he could make no more than a 
bare living for himself and his family. 

The religious element of the community in which he 
lived was composed principally of Methodists, Baptists, 
and Newlights. The meetings of these several denomi- 
nations he attended quite regularly from his boyhood to 
his thirtieth year. This he did, not for the purpose of 
ascertaining the will of God and doing it, but merely to 
listen to the extravagant logic of the preachers, and find 



3T6 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

agreeable companions with whom to while away the slug- 
gish hours of the Sabbath. The pious quarrels indulged 
in by those three religious orders, with reference to elec- 
tion and free grace, and sundry other matters set forth in 
their creeds, were not well calculated to influence, in the 
right direction, a mind early taught to criticise the strife 
and divisions existing among the professed disciples of 
the Prince of Peace. Under such circumstances he made 
little or no progress toward the kingdom. So disgusted 
was he with conflicting doctrines, that he never seriously 
thought of searching out the narrow way. He knew but 
little about religion, and, if possible, cared less. "With 
some of the more interesting portions of the Old Testa- 
ment he had a slight acquaintance. He had read of the 
creation, of Noah and his ark, of David and Goliath ; he 
was familiar with the story of Joseph and his brethren, 
and had some skeptical recollections of Sampson and his 
foxes. But to his understanding the seal of the New 
Testament had scarcely been broken. In his mind those 
wondrous things which the angels desire to look into had 
awakened no interest. He was truly without God and 
without hope in the world. Who can contemplate his 
spiritual condition at that time, and the causes which 
mainly led to it, without being convinced that a divided 
church is opposed to the spiritual welfare of man, as well 
as to the revealed will of God ? 

The first book of a religious character he ever read 
with any interest or seriousness, was the published debate 
between Alexander Campbell and W. L. McCalla. Hav- 
ing as yet no preference for this denomination or that, he 
gave the work an unprejudiced perusal, being just as will- 
ing at that time to be a McGallaite as a Gampbellite, 
From it he obtained some substantial knowledge of reli^ 
gion, and he closed the book with the impression that the 
Bible is less contradictory than the sects, and that, like 



BENJAMIN F. REEVE. 377 

any other book, it may be studied and for the most part 
understood. 

About the year 1828 the three denominations mentioned 
above imported into the neighborhood three preachers, 
one of each order, and each an able defender of the dog- 
mas of his church. Many things were then done through 
strife and vain glory. Meetings were so frequent that 
opportunities were afforded of hearing one of the three 
champions every Lord^s day. From the very first Elder 
Reeve attended these meetings, and he soon became a 
deeply interested listener, having now learned how to 
compare the views of men with the word of God. They 
mainly discussed the subjects of Baptism, Calvinism, and 
the Divinity of Christ. He hearkened diligently to them 
all, until he understood clearly their positions and the dif- 
ferences between them. On Baptism the Baptist and New- 
light opposed the Methodist ; on Calvinism the Methodist 
and Newlight opposed the Baptist ; and on the Divinity 
of Christ the Baptist and Methodist opposed the Newlight. 
It was, therefore, a remarkable, triangular, and unequal 
contest, there being two against one on each of the 
subjects. 

In addition to these discussions, the doctrine of the 
Reformation was beginning to be preached in that com- 
munity, though as yet, it had made no breach in the walls 
of sectarianism. In the midst of all these circumstances. 
Elder Reeve desired greatly to know w^hich of all the doc- 
trines was true, or whether all were alike false. To sat- 
isfy himself, he resolved to try the whole matter before 
the apostolic jury. 

Baptism being put on trial first, he took up the New 
Testament and read it through with special and exclusive 
reference to that subject. Wherever the> term occurred, 
or wherever the subject was alluded to in any way, there 
he paused, scrutinized, and analyzed as closely as possible 



318 BIONEER PREACHERS. 

He examined well the locality of " Enon near to Salim," 
and weighed well the reason why John was there bap- 
tizing. — Jno. iii. 23. He hears John say, ''I indeed bap- 
tize you with water," and he resolves to discover if pos- 
sible how he does it. Presently a subject approaches. It 
is Jesus coming '^from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be 
baptized of him." — Matt. iii. 13. He watches with intense 
interest and perceives that John baptizes in water; for 
" Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out 
of the water." He observes the passage of our fathers 
through the sea, and finds that they were baptized unto 
Moses in the sea — not with it. He seeks diligently the 
*' spray" by which, the preachers affirmed, they were 
sprinkled on that memorable occasion. He finds to his 
astonishment that the waters are frozen in the heart of the 
sea, and that they are '^ a wall (of ice) unto them on the 
right hand and on the left." — Ex. xv. 8 and xiv. 22. He 
follows the chariot over the desert toward Gaza, to wit- 
ness the baptism of the eunuch. As they go ''down both 
into the water," he vainly strives to discover some simi- 
larity between the action of Philip and that of the man 
who administers this ordinance, standing on a soft carpet 
with a basin of water in his hand. He closely observes 
the Saviour when the little children are brought unto him. 
He sees him put his hands on them ; he hears a blessing 
pronounced over their innocent heads ; but not a thing 
does he see or hear relative to baptism. He goes to the 
jail at Philippi, and inquires after the jailer's ''house" — 
the little ones that were said to have been baptized upon 
their father's faith. He finds that they are all of suiBficient 
age to believe in God, — Acts xvi. 34. He asks Paul and 
Silas as to the number, the ages, and the names of Lydia's 
children, but they return no answer. 

These researches he made impartially, being as willing 
to find authority for Sprinkling or Infant Baptism, as for 



BENJAMIN F. REEVE. 3T9 

any thing else. Having heard so much about these out- 
side of the Bible, he was not a little surprised to find, in 
it, no trace of either the one or the other. He read the 
Testament through again in the same manner and with 
the same result. The doctrine so eloquently advocated 
by the Methodist brother in opposition to the Baptists and 
Newlights, was not written in the book of God. 

Returning one evening from school he stopped at the 
village where several persons were assembled, and among 
them a certain class-leader who knew that he was search- 
ing the Scriptures. Being interrogated by the brother as 
to the result of his investigations, he replied, that if he 
bad not previously heard, from men, of Sprinkling and In- 
fant Baptism, no thought of them would have ever entered 
his mind in all his reading of the New Testament. The 
official assuming a contemptuous air and giving expres- 
sion to some taunting remarks. Elder Reeve handed him a 
Testament, which at that time he always carried in his 
pocket, and requested him to ^' put his finger'^ on the pas- 
sage, which, of itself, would have originated such an idea. 
He took the book reluctantly, but instead of pointing out 
the passage, he began to talk of Lydia and her ''house- 
hold." He has often made the same demand of the advo- 
cates of those doctrines, but no one has ever met it. He 
is therefore profoundly impressed with the difference be- 
tween finding a doctrine in the Bible and proving one 
from the Bible The latter practice he regards as a fruit- 
ful source of errors and isms. 

The first subject being disposed of he again read the 
Testament through with an eye single to Eternal and 
Unconditional Election. On the first reading he was fully 
persuaded that the way of salvation is open to all — that 
*4n every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh right- 
eousness, is accepted with him." 

He then took up the remaining subject — the Divinity (rf 



380 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

Christ — in the same manner, but with less success. On 
the first reading, he felt that he knew but little about it ; 
on the second, less ; and on the third, still less. Though 
the term *' divinity'^ was freely used in the discussions of 
that day, yet the question in hand was more properly the 
eternity of Christ — was he co-eternal with the Father, 
or did he derive his existence from the Father ? This 
was the subject which to Elder Keeve grew more and 
more obscure. But that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, 
he found abundant evidence in the Scriptures. With 
this great, central truth he contented himself; and beyond 
that, after the third reading, he sought not '^ to penetrate 
the vail.'^ 

By the time he reached his conclusions on the subjects 
before mentioned, the doctrine of the current Reformation 
was being extensively taught in that community, not only 
by disciples, but also by many Baptist preachers. Among 
these was Jesse Holton, a most excellent man, in whom 
the people had very great confidence. He afterwards 
came completely over to the Bible alone, and continued a 
steadfast disciple till he entered into his rest. By this 
devout man, in the Summer of 1829, Elder Reeve was 
immersed, with an intelligent understanding that it was 
an act in order to the remission of sins. Thus was he 
horn free, though he afterwards united with a Baptist 
congregation known as Bracken church. 

In 1830 or '31, this church divided. Of some hundred 
and fifty members, all went into the Reformation except 
about thirty. The old house of worship was held as 
common property, the Baptists occupying it one-third of 
the time. 

Soon after this division B. F. Reeve and Daniel Runyon 
were selected as elders. In the Summer of 1832, they 
were formally ordained — Elders D. S. Burnett, John 
Smith, and Guerdon Gates officiating. 



BENJAMIN F. REEVE. 381 

In the Spring of 1833 he removed to Indiana, and 
settled, where he now resides, in Noble township, Rush 
county. That county has been the principal field of his 
labors. He has worked in only a small portion of the 
great vineyard ; but he has cultivated that portion well. 
When he came to that county the Christians were few in 
number and everywhere spoken against. But the face 
of the western country has scarcely changed more, in the 
last quarter of a century, than has the religious phase of 
Rush county. It is no vain boasting, but the statement 
of a well-attested fiact, to say that the despised few have 
been so multiplied that they now far outnumber any other 
denomination — that they have more and better churches, 
sustain in the field more preachers, do more in the cause 
of education, and exert more influence iu every way over 
the public mind. To bring about this happy state of 
afl'airs, no one has done more, perhaps, than Benjamin F. 
Reeve. To realize the good that he has accomplished, 
that interesting region must be seen as it is by one who 
recollects it as it was. 

Upon his removal to that locality, he united with the 
Flat Rock church ; and for twenty-eight years has been 
one of its bishops, and its principal instructor in word 
and doctrine. During this long period, Flat Rock has 
been one of the largest and most influential churches in 
the State. It now has over two hundred members, and 
it has seldom had less. It has sent whole colonies to 
various portions of Indiana, while many have gone from 
it to the far West, carrying with them the " incorruptible 
seed." 

In addition to his labors at Flat Rock, he has rendered 
efiScient service to the neighboring churches, sometimes 
visiting them monthly. When the system of county co- 
operation was adopted throughout the State, he travelled 



382 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

and preached over a small district for about three years. 
His labors were attended with great success. 

During his ministry he has been especially useful as an 
immerser. Possessing great strength of body, caution, 
and self-possession, he has usually been called on to 
immerse the obedient wherever he has been present. He 
baptized his first subject in June, 1833 ; since which time 
he has immersed hundreds, if not thousands, without the 
slightest accident to any. On one occasion he buried 
thirty-six without coming up out of the water. 

He has also enjoyed great popularity among the young 
men and maidens, very many of whom he has united in 
the bonds of matrimony. 

He has himself been twice married. His first wife died 
in 1839, and in the following year he was married to 
Elizabeth B. Lower, who still survives. 

In view of the important results w^hich he has accom- 
plished in behalf of primitive Christianity, it may be well 
to consider the means by which those results have been 
obtained. It may be safely affirmed that they have not 
been brought about by extraordinary exertions as an 
evangelist. Many men, who have done less good, have 
preached more, travelled farther, and experienced greater 
hardships. Though he has preached a great deal, he has 
never given himself wholly to the word. Much of his 
time has always been devoted to secular pursuits. Upon 
these he has relied for the support of his family, and, 
until quite recently, he never received any remuneration 
for his services in the gospel. 

For several years he was a member of the Board of 
Managers of the White Water Canal. From the organi- 
zation of the North Western Christian University, he has 
been a punctual and highly efficient member of its Board 
of Directors, and Business Committee. In the township 
in which he resides he has served as justice of the peace 



/ 

BENJAMIN F. REEVE. 383 

for thirteen consecutive years; and for the last twenty 
years he has been engaged in settling up estates, and 
acting as guardian of minor heirs. At this time he is 
executor of five different estates, and the guardian of six 
families of children. He has sometimes had more of such 
business on hands, but seldom less. In this capacity he 
not only guards the dollars and cents, but also superin- 
tends the moral and intellectual training of those entrusted 
to his care. During five sessions he has been honored by 
the people of Rush county with a seat in the State Legis- 
lature ; two terms in the House — from 1836 to 1838 — 
and three years in the Senate, from 1841 to 1844. Al- 
though not wealthy, he has, by judicious management of 
his worldly afPairs, and by hard manual labor, placed 
himself in a condition to live easily and independently 
during the remnant of his days. 

It may be affirmed with equal safety, that his success 
in the ministry is not owing to the possession of extra- 
ordinary ability. True, he is a workman that needeth 
not to be ashamed, and one fully competent to officiate 
creditably in any pulpit ; yet he is not generally regarded 
as a great preacher. But in the little circle in which he 
has quietly labored, it is universally conceded that 
"brother Reeve is the so/e preacher.'' This expression, 
which has become almost proverbial in Rush county, 
reveals the secret of his success. He has accomplished 
his work by being emphatically a Book man ; by always 
meeting the opposer with a ''thus it is written;" by 
taking heed to himself and his doctrine ; by avoiding, as 
a preacher, all superstitious notions, speculative theories, 
'' vain babblings,'' and '' foolish and unlearned questions ;" 
by teaching the people the pure word of God; and by 
being, himself, '' an example to the believers in word, in 
behavior, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 

Besides these excellent traits as a preacher, he pos- 



384 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

sesses admirable qualities as a bishop. It is in this office, 
rather than the ministry, that he stands pre-eminent. 
There is scarcely a single particular in which he does not 
conform to the standard given by Paul to Titus. During 
the twenty-eight years that have elapsed since he became 
bishop of Flat Rock church, no serious difficulty of any 
kind has occurred in the congregation ; and the cause of 
primitive Christianity, in that community, has been saved 
from the disgrace which often arises from contentious elders 
and disputing brethren. This calamity he has prevented 
by permitting to be brought before the church no ques- 
tion which was calculated to divide it, or seriously disturb 
its harmony ; by not assuming, as too many bishops do, 
a dictatorial attitude ; by causing the church to feel its 
responsibility, and thus, in a great measure, govern itself; 
and by not being determined to thrust himself forward as 
a preacher, but by being always willing to speak or re- 
frain from speaking according to the will of those whom 
he served. 

Still proceeding in this way the pleasure of the Lord 
continues to prosper in his hands ; and never, while he 
stands at the door, will grievous wolves enter in to 
devour his flock. A little longer shall he '' feed the flock 
of God, taking the oversight thereof, not for filthy lucre, 
but of a ready mind.^ Then shall the chief Shepherd 
appear, and he shall receive a crown of glory. 

From this brief sketch of his life and services let at 
least one important conclusion be drawn, namely, to 
advance the interests of the Redeemer's kingdom, it is 
not necessary to travel into Asia, or possess the mental 
acumen of the apostle Paul. Ordinary ability, employed 
with discretion in the pulpit, and prudence in the bishop's 
office, may establish the claims of the ancient gospel in 
any other county, as, by such means, they have been 
established in the county of Rush. 



BENJAMIN P REEVE. :J85 

In the personal appearance of Eider Reeve there is 
nothing remarkable. He is rather heavy set, hardly up 
to the average height ; and his whole contour is indicative 
of great strength, activity and endurance. He has a keen 
gray eye, light hair, and a highly nervous temperament. 

He is a thoughtful, well-informed, common-sense man ; 
not disposed to consider things abstractly; but of a prac- 
tical and business turn of mind. 

His dress is plain and neat, correctly representing him 
as a well-to-do farmer. 

He is easily approached, very lively in conversation, 
and hospitable to a fault. For many years his house has 
been the preacher's home ; and every good and great 
enterprise finds in him a " cheerful giver." 

He preaches the simple gospel in very simple style. 
His action is not that of an orator ; but his ideas are 
good, his language well chosen, and his delivery impressive. 

When death claims him the world will be minus an 
obliging neighbor, a patriotic citizen, a patron of learning, 
a true philanthropist, and an exemplary Christian. 
33 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE 



Elder Joseph W. Wolfe was born in Frederick county, 
Virginia, April 19th, 1810. Like most persons of that 
day his advantages for obtaining an education were very 
limited. He was sent to school three months in the year 
1811 ; and about nine months in the following year. On 
the 3d of April, 1819, he left Yirginia and removed to 
Sullivan county, Indiana, where he still resides. Arriving 
at his western home on the 1st of the following May, being 
a little more than ten years of age, he soon discovered 
that he was by no means the only wolf that had emi- 
grated to that locality ; for at that time Sullivan county 
was but sparsely settled ; the howling of wolves was 
heard more frequently than the sound of the gospel, and 
far more numerous than school-houses were the wigwams 
of the Indians. Here among savages both human and 
inhuman, he grew up, toiling daily in forest or in field ; 
nor until eighteen years of years of age had he any further 
opportunity of attending school. During the years 1828-9 
he again went to school for about six months ; and, by a 
diligent improvement of his time, he mastered the Spelling 
Book ; learned to read and write, and ^' ciphered'^ to the 
rule of three in arithmetic. His education was then 
regarded as complete ; for by the people of that day, 
geography, English grammar, and indeed all things beyond 
the rule of three were deenjed of no practical utility. 

Unlike most of our modern students, he did not confine 
himself within the narrow bounds of ^' man's wisdom,^' 
386 



..^?^f^l 




' -^ciaij, 



^.^a 



O^^ 




JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 381 

but diligently inquired after '' that wisdom which cometh 
down from above.'' He soon found and appreciated the 
great truth, too often overlooked by young men, that 
'' the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and to 
depart from evil is understanding." Accordingly, on the 
2d of August, 1828, he was immersed into Christ, and on 
the first Lord's day of September following, united with 
the Baptist church at Maria Creek, Knox county, Indiana. 

A little prior to this time, the light of the Reformation 
began to dawn on that vicinity. Influenced by the 
writings of Barton W. Stone, Alexander Campbell and 
others, the principal Baptist ministers preached, with 
Paul, that '^ faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God. While they insisted on faith and repent- 
ance as essential antecedents of baptism, they no longer 
taught the people that they could not be baptized without 
a previous assurance of pardon. Elder Wolfe declares 
that, had it not been for these modifications of the ortho- 
dox gospel, he would never, perhaps, have united with the 
church, and that he certainly would not have done so at 
that time. Happily for him and the thousands that have 
been saved through his instrumentality, these modifica- 
tions were made ; but alas ! in how many cases have 
they not been made ! Who but God can estimate the 
influence, nay the souls that have been lost because of 
them that have hesitated to preach the simple gospel 
through fear of being called heterodox ? 

But to the new doctrines proclaimed from the pulpit, 
many of the members seriously objected ; and previous to 
his immersion he was required to relate an ''experience." 
He stated that he had '' heard the word ;" that he believed 
that Jesus is the Christ ; that he had repented of his sins ; 
that he hated iniquity ; loved righteousness ; and desired 
to be baptized. The fact that he loved righteousness and 
hated iniquity was regarded as proof, strong as holy writ. 



388 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

that God had blotted out his transgressions ; and they 
accordingly proceeded to baptize him ^' because of" the 
remission of sins. Thus he became a Baptist ; but the 
gate had well nigh proved too straight for him. 

Soon after his union with the Baptist Church, the creed 
question was greatly agitated in the congregation at 
Maria Creek. Many of the members were much dissatis- 
fied with the Baptist Confession of Faith, especially to 
that part of it which relates to the doctrine of eternal 
election. So high did the excitement run, that at every 
monthly meeting some one would move that the creed be 
read, which being done, the debate began, almost every 
male member taking part in the discussion. In the midst 
of this excitement. Elder Wolfe and seventeen others re- 
quested to be organized as a separate congregation, at 
Shaker Prairie, in Knox county ; but they were unwilling 
to be organized on a creed unless that creed should be 
expressed in Bible terms. To obviate the difficulty, the 
church appointed Elder Wolfe and their pastor. Elder B. 
W. Fields, as a committee to prepare a satisfactory creed. 
At the next monthly meeting they reported one, which 
began as follows : 

" Preamble. 

"We believe that the Scriptures are divinely inspired, 
and the only infallible rule of faith and practice : — There- 
fore we declare to the world our faith in the following 
manner, viz. : 

" 1st. We believe ' There are three that bear record in 
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and 
these three are one.' 

'' 2d. We believe ^ There are three that bear witness in 
earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood : and these 
three agree in one.' 

'* 3d. We believe that ' In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 389 

" 4th. We believe that ^All things were made by him, 
and without him w^as not anything made that was made.' 

''5th. We believe that ' The Word was made flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of 
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' 

" 6th. We believe that ' Every spirit that eonfesseth 
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.' 

'' tth. We believe that * Every spirit that eonfesseth not 
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.' 

'' 8th. We believe that ' God hath appointed a day in 
the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that 
man whom he hath ordained ; w^hereof he hath given 
assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from 
the dead.'" 

Other articles followed in the same style, but this will 
sufl&ce as a specimen. 

After due deliberation, this singular creed was pro- 
nounced unexceptionable ; and on it the church at Shaker 
Prairie was organized, in the year 1830. They elected 
their officers ; chose B. W. Fields as their pastor ; and 
entered upon a short career of peace and prosperity. But 
ere long a serious question arose among them, viz. : Why 
should they adopt as their creed a few passages of Scrip- 
ture, and not the whole Bible ? Then again was discus- 
sion, until, finally, they unanimously decided to erase all 
their creed save the first sentence. This was done by 
Elder Wolfe, as clerk ; and to the fragment saved he 
added the words, '' which we adopt as our creed and Book 
of Discipline;" so that the instrument, thus amended, 
read as follows : '' We believe that the Scriptures of the 
Old and IS'ew Testament are divinely inspired, and the 
only infallible rule of faith and practice — which we adopt 
as our creed and Book of Discipline." 

By this time the Annual Baptist Association was draw- 
ing nigh, and the church appointed Elders Wolfe and 



390 PIONEER PEEACHERS. 

Fields to prepare a letter to that body, setting forth the 
fact that they had discarded the Baptist creed, and adopted 
the Bible in its stead. The letter having been prepared, 
presented to the church, and approved. Elders Wolfe and 
Fields and brethren James Boyd and Jacob Wolfe were 
appointed as delegates to bear it to the Association. 
This body met in September, 1830, at Indian Creek church, 
Sullivan county ; and no sooner was the letter presented 
than a motion was made to eject the delegates from the 
Association. Elder Fields obtained leave to explain their 
position ; and, for an hour and a half, proceeded to show, 
1st. The right of congregations to choose their own 
creeds; 2d. The perfection of the Divine creed ; 3d. The 
duty of Christians to adopt it ; and, 4th. That it was 
antichristian to be governed by any other. At the close 
of his address, finding his auditors irritated rather than 
convinced, he and his fellow-delegates withdrew from the 
Association. Thus ended the connection of Elder Wolfe 
and the congregation at Shaker Prairie with the Baptists ; 
and thus was furnished at least one undeniable evidence 
that human creeds are schismatical. 

Then began the brethren at Shaker Prairie to meet on 
every Lord's day to break bread ; and the Lord, from 
time to time, added unto them ''the saved.'' Then, too, 
began persecution — not such as once filled prisons, fed 
ravenous beasts, and illuminated with human torches the 
gardens of Nero — but such as reviles one, and says all 
manner of evil against him falsely for Christ's sake. The 
Baptists stigmatized them as '' Campbellites," and closed 
their doors against them. The Methodists organized a 
class among them, and pronounced them heterodox ; 
while, by the orthodox generally, it was industriously 
asserted that they denied the Divinity of Christ, and the 
operation of the Holy Spirit, and that all they required 
of any one in order to membership was simply to be im- 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 391 

mersed — misrepresentations which, though corrected a 
thousand times, continue to be repeated by very many 
even to this day. " But step by step," says Elder Wolfe, 
^' we advanced on our glorious platform, gaining ground 
on all opposers." As the means by which this was ac- 
complished he adds, ''Every member of us acted as a 
preacher. We carried our Testaments into our corn- 
fields, and read the word at every interval." Thou who 
hast been wont to rely only upon the preacher for progress, 
*'go thou and do likewise. "^^ Fired by such zeal, and in- 
structed by Elders B. W. Fields, M. R. Trimble, and 
others, the church steadily grew in grace and in numbers ; 
so much so that in less than two years they had increased 
from eighteen to twenty members ; and in 1838 they num- 
bered a hundred and twenty, as did the disciples at Pente- 
cost, while the persecuting church at Maria Creek went 
down almost to zero. Let the history of this church 
serve as an index of what might, by proper effort, be ac- 
complished by the Reformation. If every disciple would 
labor with equal zeal, there would be reason to hope that, 
ere long, human creeds would be driven from the church ; 
the walls of sectarianism razed to the ground ; and the 
people of God united on the one foundation of the apos- 
tles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner stone. Then indeed would the doubting world 
believe that God has sent his Son to seek and to save 
that which was lost ; and the kingdoms of this world 
would speedily become the kingdom of our Lord and of 
his Christ. 

In the Christian meeting-house at Shaker Prairie, on 
the 6th of May, 1839, Elder Wolfe was ordained as an 
evangelist by Elders B. W. Fields, John B. Haywood, and 
Albert P. Law, all of whom now ''rest from their labors." 
He immediately began to thrust in his sickle with those 
that were already 



392 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

" Shouting and singing in th.e open fields 
Their harvest hymns." 

His first labors were confined chiefly to his own and the 
adjacent neighborhoods. There he not only preached on 
Lord's days, but held night meetings at various points 
through the week, and, imitating the great apostle to the 
Gentiles, he taught the people publicly and /rom house to 
house — a style of preaching now too nearly obsolete. 
Afterwards he preached for several churches in more dis- 
tant parts of Sullivan and Knox counties, until January 
1st, 1840, when he took a district embracing these coun- 
ties in Indiana, and the counties of Lawrence and Craw- 
ford in Illinois. In this district, which contained about 
fifteen congregations, he became a regular '' circuit-rider, '' 
but, unlike others of that class, he was subject to no 
"bishop" save the Shepherd and Bishop of his soul. 
From May 5th, 1839, the date of his ordination, to the 
close of that year, he had persuaded seventy persons to 
obey the gospel, and, encouraged by this success, he en- 
tered upon the work of his district with large hope and 
much zeal. This being the year of General Harrison's 
election to the Presidency, the people were wild with 
political enthusiasm. The world thought but little of the 
Church, and, what was equally embarrassing, the Church 
thought too much of the world. But, undiverted from 
his purpose. Elder Wolfe still urged the people to modera- 
tion, and besought them to make their own election sure. 
The result of his labors this year was four hundred and 
twenty-six additions by immersion, plus a considerable 
number by letter and otherwise. This result was effected 
at great personal sacrifice ; for though he was performing 
such excellent service for the churches, they gave him but 
very little support. This year he consumed what little 
money he had and most of his personal property. His 
supply of clothing was also nearly exhausted ; hence he 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 393 

had to abandon his circuit and return to the cultivation 
of the soil for the support of himself and family. During 
the next year, refusing numerous invitations from abroad, 
he preached on every Lord^s day, and sometimes on Sat- 
urdays and Mondays, to the home congregation, visiting 
only a few other churches at such times as the farmers had 
most leisure. The accessions were one hundred and forty- 
six by immersion and thirty-two from other churches, a 
deficiency of two hundred and eighty compared with the 
year before. Had he been properly sustained, instead of 
a deficiency there would no doubt have been a greater 
number of additions ; for this year there was no political 
excitement. Therefore, if these two hundred and eighty 
persons are lost, will not the brethren of that district, 
when they stand before the great white throne, reproach 
themselves severely for their illiberality in supporting the 
gospel? 

Having, by the labor of his hands, provided for the 
wants of his family, he, in 1842, again entered the harvest 
in which the laborers are few. This year he agreed with 
four congregations to visit each once a month and hold a 
two days meeting. Under this arrangement he immersed 
two hundred and sixty-five, and received for his services 
seventy dollar s^ inclusive of sundry articles of food and 
raiment. 

In 1843 he preached for fifteen congregations, and occa- 
sionally in destitute neighborhoods, adding to the several 
churches three hundred and sixty, and receiving for his 
labor one hundred and thirty-three dollars in cash and 
produce. 

During about two thirds of the year 1844 he preached 
for the churches at Lawrenceville and Russell ville, Illinois, 
and Bruceville and Shaker Prairie, Indiana. He added 
to the kingdom more than two hundred and fifty, and re- 
ceived one hundred and fifty dollars in cash ; while the 



394 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

brethren at Shaker Prairie, in addition to their portions of 
the money, gathered his crop of corn, prepared wood for 
his family, and cheered his heart by several substantial 
presents. This year, in connection with Elder John E. 
Noyes, he held a series of protracted meetings at various 
points in Indiana and Illinois, a short account of which 
may serve to illustrate the power of both Elder Wolfe 
and the truth in those days. 

They began at Bruce ville, Knox county, being assisted 
at this place by Elder B. W. Fields. The arrangement 
was that Elder Fields should preach each day at nine 
o'clock, A. M., Elder Noyes at three P. M., and Elder 
Wolfe at night. At the close of the sermon on the second 
night, eighteen persons came forward to confess the Lord 
before men. An exhortation was given, and three others 
came. Thus they continued from day to day until sixty- 
nine were immersed. Several things conspired to make 
this a remarkable meeting. The weather was excessively 
cold ; the ground was covered with snow, which afforded 
excellent sleighing ; and vast multitudes of people were 
daily in attendance. The stream in which they baptized 
was covered with ice more than a foot in thickness. The 
opening made through this and the overlying snow, had 
a striking resemblance to a grave ; so that the people had 
no difficulty in conceiving how they might be buried with 
Christ in baptism, and arise to walk in newness of life. 

Leaving Elder Fields, they next held a meeting at 
Kussellville, Illinois, which closed, after ten days, with 
forty-eight additions. They then removed ten miles west 
to a point on the Ambrosia river, where, in five days, 
they obtained sixteen additions. Next, on their return, 
they preached four days at Palestine and immersed 
eighteen. Their last joint meeting was held at Shaker 
Prairie, and resulted in twenty-two accessions, making 
one hundred and eighty-three in all. 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 395 

At the close of this year, finding himself encumbered 
with debts and his farm in a bad condition, he became 
discouraged and thought of abandoning the work of an 
evangelist ; but he was encouraged by his wife to persevere. 
Soon, however, the voice of that wife encouraged him no 
more ; her heart sympathized with him, her prayers 
ascended for him only a little longer ; for on the 26th of 
April, 1845, she died, leaving him with four children — the 
youngest four, the eldest eleven years old. Then to him 
were '' the days of darkness,'' which in every man's life 
shall be many. He preached but little, save to the home 
congregation ; and this year brought into the kingdom 
only about one hundred. At the close of the year he was 
married the second time ; and again entering the field as 
an evangelist, during the years 1846-T, he added about 
four hundred to the Church. 

In 1848 he was elected county commissioner for three 
years. This interfered but little with his preaching 
arrangements ; and each year his labors were crowned 
by about two hundred accessions. 

In 1851 he was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of 
Sullivan county, but still continued to preach with his 
usual success. Assisted by Elder Jas. Blankenship of 
Monroe county, he held several protracted meetings, at 
which about two hundred persons became obedient to the 
faith. But the principal achievement of this year was 
the planting of a church at Middletown in Yigo county. 
Here the missionary Baptists had then a large church, 
while there were but about half a dozen disciples in an 
unorganized condition. At this point he and Elder B. 
preached ; organized a church ; and obtained over sixty 
additions, among whom were several of the most efficient 
members of the Baptist Church. This gave to the Chris- 
tian Church at that place great strength, which it has 
maintained, and steadily increased, to this day. On the 



396 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

5th of January, 1852, having sold his farm, he removed to 
Sullivan, the county-seat, and entered upon the duties of 
his clerkship. This year he visited several congregations 
in the country ; but labored chiefly for the church at 
Sullivan, preaching often at night after the toils of the 
day were over. 

During the next three years his manner of life was 
much the same ; only he preached more, held more 
protracted meetings, and induced greater numbers to 
obey the gospel. In 1855 he was reelected clerk of the 
Circuit Court. In 1856 he turned more than two hun- 
dred from the broad to the narrow way, and planted one 
new church. During the three years following he preached 
regularly for four congregations, and averaged about one 
hundred and fifty accessions per year. 

In 1858 he and Elder Jos. Hostetler held a protracted 
meeting at Providence, in Sullivan county, where there 
was a church recently organized and very feeble. The 
meeting continued ten days, and closed with eighty-five 
additions. One year later they held another meeting 
there. As at Samaria, the people with one accord gave 
heed unto what they spake ; about forty others believed 
and were baptized, and there was great joy in that city. 
A few years previous to this, when Elder Wolfe first 
visited that point, there were but three or four disciples 
and a few United Brethren in all that region. The entire 
neighborhood was a very Sodom, in which ten righteous 
could hardly be found; having long been famous for 
horseracing, drinking, gambling, and almost every vice in 
the catalogue of crimes. At the conclusion of two years' 
labor among them the church at Providence numbered 
largely over two hundred ; and the Sodom had been 
transformed into a Salem — a peaceable, a Christian com- 
munity. So it remains unto this day, a monument more 
durable than brass, whose top touches heaven. 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 397 

Although he has received but little from the churches, 
the proceeds of his farm and the emoluments of his 
civil office, have placed him above want. He has 
recently invested his small capital in the mercantile busi- 
ness, and has, in a measure, retired from the regular 
service. But still he is resolved to preach Jesus, as 
health may permit, until the Master shall say : " It is 
enough; come up higher;" and he now sings the living 
sentiment of his soul in this beautiful stanza : 

** E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream 
His flowing wounds supply, 
Redeeming love has been my theme, 
And shall be till I die,'''' 

Such is a brief account of the life and services of Elder 
Joseph W. Wolfe, from which it will be seen that, among 
other good deeds, he has led back to the Shepherd's fold 
about four thousand five hundred persons that, like sheep, 
had gone astray. 



Nature granted to Elder Wolfe the two great blessings 
for which the heathen poet taught his* contemporaries to 
pray, namely, a sound mind in a sound body. Inured to 
labor from his early youth, his physical powers were well 
developed; and the hardships he experienced as a pioneer 
farmer eminently qualified him for the more severe trials 
of a pioneer preacher. He is six feet four inches high, 
and weighs about one hundred and seventy pounds. His 
frame is muscular, head very large, eyes pale blue or gray, 
hair and complexion light. His temperament is highly 
nervous, giving him a rapid utterance and quick move- 
ments. 

His natural powers of mind are much above the average, 
and, had he enjoyed the advantages of a collegiate educa- 
tion, he would have occupied a high rank among the greater 
lights of the church. His mind is of the perceptive caste, 
34 



898 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

observing closely and comprehending easily both men and 
things ; yet he reasons forcibly by the best of all logics, 
common sense. 

He is a man of great vivacity — plain in his dress, simple 
in his habits, frank in his demeanor, indulgent to his 
family, and obliging to his neighbors. 

Though not ordinarily eloquent, yet he is a fluent, dis- 
tinct, impressive speaker, very much like George Camp- 
bell in his lofty flights and impassioned exhortations. At 
such times he enunciates with wonderful rapidity, gesticu- 
lates violently, and is all aglow with animation. His lan- 
guage is respectable, though not elegant; and he presents 
the truth with great clearness and simplicity by means of 
apt illustrations. He usually deals in facts ; and his dis- 
courses are generally argumentative, hortatory, practical. 
He never raves like a mad man, but always utters the 
words of truth and soberness like one who really believes 
that God ''has appointed a day in which he will judge the 
world in righteousness. " 

In whatever he has undertaken he owes much of his 
success to his untiring industry. In the office or on the 
farm, whatsoever his hands found to do, he did with his 
might. Hence he has acquired a sufficiency of this world ^s 
goods, although the most of his time has been spent in 
the Lord's vineyard. 

In the ministry, he has regarded neither winds nor 
clouds ; but in the morning has sown the incorruptible 
seed and in the evening withheld not his hand. Thus, 
having spent his life in sowing to the Spirit, he shall ere 
long reap the harvest of life everlasting. For, with con- 
stitution impaired by exposure, oppressed by. the weight 
of more than half a century, and robbed by death of a large 
portion of his family, he only waits the summons to join 
them ''beyond the river" — 



JOSEPH W. WOLFE. 399 

*• 'Tis hid from view, but we may guess 
How beautiful that realm must be ; 
For gleamings of its loveliness, 

In visions granted, oft we see. 
The very clouds that o'er it throw 

Their vail, unraised for mortal sight, 
With gold and purple tintings glow, 
Reflected from the glorious light 
Beyond the river." 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 



-♦♦^ 



Elder Thomas Jefferson Edmondson was born in 
Sullivan county, Indiana, December 25th, 1816. In the 
Spring of 181t, his father, William Edmondson, removed 
with him to Monroe county, where he was brought up. 
He was the eldest of eight brothers, three of whom, 
George, Porter, and John, became ministers in the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian Church. They were men of more 
than ordinary intellectual ability and moral worth, but 
of very frail constitutions. All three died of pulmonary 
diseases when they were comparatively young men. 
His father, who still lives, has never been a member of 
any church, but is an upright citizen, who has given spe- 
cial attention to the moral and intellectual training of his 
children, of whom he has had twelve, eight sons and four 
daughters. All, save three or four, have long slumbered 
beneath the sod. 

His mother was a most devoted member of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian Church, and she studiously im- 
pressed that particular form of doctrine upon the minds 
and hearts of her children. Upon the faith of his mother 
he was sprinkled in infancy, and under her well-meant 
instructions he grew up with the rest. 

From the first dawn of reason he seemed to be ab- 
sorbed in thought. As he grew older he delighted to 
steal away from his brothers and spend his time in the 
forest with his rifle. He was also passionately fond of 
fishing, like those of old, who afterwards, in the provi- 
400 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 401 

dence of God, became fishers of men. As a school-boy, 
he was mostly remarkable for seldom seeming to study, 
yet always reciting well at the head of his class. In his 
own easy and peculiar way he made rapid progress, and 
soon mastered all the branches of the common-school. 

He was of a roving disposition — not a man, like Pol- 
lock's, who thought " the visual ray that girt him in, the 
world's extreme.'' Through life his motto was plus ultra 
— more beyond — more knowledge to be acquired — still 
higher degrees of excellence and enjoyment to be attained 
in the Christian profession. Shut in by the hills of Mon- 
roe county, his expansive spirit was cramped and restless. 
Before he was twenty-one years old, therefore, he left the 
paternal roof, made a trip to Mississippi, and there ac- 
quired some knowledge of the men, manners, and institu- 
tions of the sunny South. 

On his return home he commenced and prosecuted for 
some time the study of medicine ; but he was destined to 
become a disciple of the Great Physician, and, according 
to his instructions, administer the ''balm in Gilead." It 
was in the Fall of 1839 that he was brought under the 
influence of the gospel through the instrumentality of 
James M. Mathes. This excellent evangelist, then just 
entering upon his career of usefulness, was preaching 
once a month at a schoolhouse in the Edmondson neigh- 
borhood. On going one day to fill an appointment, he 
perceived, near the house, a man walking to and fro in 
the road, and seemingly engaged in profound meditation. 
When they met, the troubled stranger introduced himself 
as Mr. Edmondson, and requested an interview prior to 
the commencement of preaching. 

In the course of this interview he presented his diffi- 
culties with regard to Infant Sprinkling, and several 
matters connected with the subject of conversion, saying, 
" If you can remove these difficulties from my mind, I 



402 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

will gadly obey the gospel, as I desire to make religion 
the basis of every thing. I am studying a profession, but 
before I enter upon it I want to be a disciple of Jesus — 
then I can build on a sure foundation." The preacher 
was successful in removing all his difficulties, and in 
giving him perfect satisfaction as to what the Lord re- 
quires one in his condition to do. It was therefore 
agreed between them that on the next day he should 
meet Elder Mathes at his appointment in Bloomington, 
and then and there obey from the heart the form of doc- 
trine delivered to the world by the apostles. 

Accordingly on the next day, which was Friday, he 
and his brother Porter attended the meeting at Blooming- 
ton. At the close of the discourse he went forward and 
publicly confessed his faith in the Great Messiah. The 
congregation immediately repaired to the water — a natural 
pool in Clear creek, a little south of the University — 
where, in the presence of a large concourse of people, he 
was buried with the Lord by baptism into death. It was 
an interesting, a solemn, an impressive scene. As he 
came up out of the water, while all hearts were softened 
for the impress of truth, he made some excellent remarks, 
which evinced not only his sincerity, but also his clear 
understanding of ''the way, the truth, and the life." 

About the first of November, 1839, he went to Bloom- 
ington on a visit to Elder Mathes, who had previously 
removed to that place for the purpose of attending the 
University. While there he was easily prevailed upon 
by his instructor in the gospel to give up the study of 
medicine and finish his education at the college, prepara- 
tory to engaging in the work of the ministry. He imme- 
diately went to live in the family of Elder Mathes, and 
entered the State University, then under the direction of 
that profound thinker Dr. Andrew Wylie. There he con- 
tinued his studies until he acquired a respectable knowl- 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 403 

edge of the Latin and Greek languages, Mathematics, the 
Physical Sciences, Rhetoric, Elocution, Logic, Evidences 
of Christianity, and Metaphysics. He was a most labori- 
ous student, equalling — if he did not surpass — all his 
classmates in both thoroughness and dispatch. It is not 
improbable that, accustomed as he had been to labor in 
the open fields, he there laid the foundation of that fell 
disease which carried him, as it carries millions, to an 
untimely grave. 

Early in the year 1840, while yet a student at college, 
he commenced preaching. On Saturdays and Sundays 
he would accompany Elder Mathes into the country, and 
would occasionally deliver a discourse — at first using 
notes prepared for him by his companion and tutor in 
the gospel. On this account he received the name of 
" Timothy, ^^ or '* brother Mathes^ s Timothy ^^^ by which title 
he was for years extensively known. Often when the 
brethren abroad would request Elder M. to visit them, 
they would write, " Come, brother Mathes, and bring 
'Timothy' with you; or, if you cannot come, send 
* Timothy,' and we will be satisfied." 

After leaving the university he gave himself wholly to 
the word, rose very rapidly, and soon became a very 
useful, widely-known, and popular preacher. Eor several 
years he had no particular location, but went everywhere 
preaching Jesus and the salvation that is through faith in 
his name and obedience to his commands. He was very 
successful in convincing the people of the correctness of 
the principles he advocated, and of the necessity of a 
return to the ancient gospel and the order of the primitive 
churches. 

In the course of his travels he came to Madison, where, 
in 1843, he was married to Miss Sarah Ann Hutchinson, 
who became the mother of his three children. The eldest 
of them, a son, died at Columbus at the age of six years. 



404 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

The other two, a son and a daughter, he left with his widow, 
never again to return to them, but in hope that thej would 
come to him. Those two are still living somewhere in 
the far West. 

After his marriage, and through the influence of that 
excellent man of God, Joseph Fassett, he located at 
Columbus, Bartholomew county, and became the pastor 
of the church at that place. He did not content himself, 
however, with feeding that one flock ; but preached often 
in the country and at various points along the Madison 
and Indianapolis railroad. A portion of his time was 
regularly employed in serving the congregations at Edin- 
burg, New Hope, and Greensburg. 

At no time did he receive from all the churches under 
his care a sufficiency for his support ; but he was always 
under the necessity of devoting a portion of his time to 
some secular business. Through this neglect on the part 
of the churches, and through bad management of his 
temporal affairs, he became involved in debt, by which 
both his happiness and usefulness were impaired. 

He was a ready, keen, and powerful debater, though 
he never held but one regular public discussion. This 
was on the subject of Universalism. It took place at 
Franklin, Johnson county, on the 18th, 19th, and 20th 
days of January, 1844. His opponent was the great 
Universalist champion, Erasmus Manford, of Terre Haute, 
then editor of the '' Christian Teacher." 

The two propositions were the same that have long 
been stereotyped, one affirmative for each. The following 
short account of the debate is from the pen of one who 
heard it : 

'' This discussion, we are assured, did much good in 
Franklin and vicinity, in exposing the sceptical heresy of 
Universalism, and in the development and establishment 
of the truth as taught in the Bible. In this debate Mr. 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 405 

Manford, though a practiced and wily debater, was no 
match for the youthful and philosophic Edmondson, who, 
though young and inexperienced in debate, yet having on 
the armor of righteousness and truth, laid hold on his 
opponent with a giant grip, and bound him hand and 
foot with the strong cords of reason, logic, and Scripture 
testimony.^' The writer of this flattering notice, it is 
true, was a great admirer of Edmondson and a zealous 
opposer of Manford, yet he is one whose skillful pen is 
not given to vain boasting but rather to words of truth 
and soberness. 

The only other debate of his was an informal little 
affair that took place in the village of Leesville, Lawrence 
county. It occurred in the Summer of 1845, and on this 
wise : 

Jacob Wright of Salem, and George Walker, a circuit 
preacher, had just concluded a discussion on the subjects 
of Baptism and the Influence of the Holy Spirit. At this 
discussion Edmondson was present, with other Christian 
evangelists ; and the Rev. Philip May, another circuit 
preacher, was also present with others of his brethren. 
At the close of the discusssion — which was just before 
noon — some one of the Christian preachers announced 
that, at a certain hour in the afternoon, he would deliver 
a discourse at the place where they were then assembled. 
Mr. May immediately arose and gave notice that, com- 
mencing an hour earlier, he would preach, at the same 
place, on the subject of Baptism ; at which time and 
place he would prove from the Greek language that 
sprinkling and pouring are scriptural modes of adminis- 
tering that ordinance. Dinner being over, all repaired to 
the grove, anxious to hear Mr. May prove what mortal 
man had never before established. By common consent 
Mr. Edmondson was appointed to follow the reverend gen- 
tleman, and reply to his Greek arguments. This Mr. May 



406 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

did not expect ; indeed he was not aware that any one 
present understood the language in which God, for wise 
purposes, wrote through his amanuenses, and stereotyped 
through his providence, the precious record of His well- 
beloved Son. He therefore assumed considerable latitude 
and disclosed a great many things relative to the Greek 
language, that would certainly have been new to Demos- 
thenes or Plato — the latter of which gentlemen especially, 
is supposed to have had a respectable knowledge of that 
tongue I 

Mr. Edmondson busied himself in taking copious notes ; 
and when the argument was concluded, he took the stand 
and began his review. Then came the tug of war — for 
Greek met Greek. He showed first of all that Mr. May 
was neither a classical scholar nor a reliable critic ; that 
his assertions were altogether reckless and without founda- 
tion either in the New Testament Greek or in the Greek 
classics. His speech is said to have manifested great 
ability, profound research, and sound learning. It also 
abounded in good humor, wit, and pleasant sarcasm, 
which rendered his opponent very uneasy, and placed 
himself in the first rank of debaters. It was generally 
regarded by the people who heard it as a most triumphant 
vindication of the oft-assailed truth on that subject. 

As a writer also, he attained to a high rank, and no 
doubt accomplished more good by his pen than by his 
tongue. Many of his articles were published in the 
*' Christian Record," where they were read with profit by 
thousands. They are still in print to be read by thou- 
sands more, now that his tongue lies forever silent in the 
grave. The style, force, and tone of his literary produc- 
tions may be best described by inserting a few extracts. 
The following are taken from his articles written for the 
Record under the broad caption, ''Christian Obligations." 
After quoting some of the apostolic injunctions, such as, 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 40T 

" Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before the 
Lord," he says : 

" A want of conformity to these moral precepts is the 
cause of a great amount of infidelity in the world. The 
moralist, instead of looking at the true evidence of Chris- 
tianity, looks at the conduct of the lukewarm or ungodly 
professor, and concludes that the character of such is 
proof that the Bible is not adapted to the nature and 
wants of man, and consequently he is opposed to Chris- 
tianity. He concludes that there is more divinity in 
human nature than there is in the authenticity of the 
Bible, and, therefore, he attributes the good qualities 
which some Christians possess, more to the organization 
of their nature than to the influence of the Bible ; and 
hence he sets up in opposition to what he calls Chris- 
tianity, some of its own moral precepts. Others set the 
moralist in opposition to the ungodly professor — not for 
the purpose of imitating him, but for an excuse to indulge 
in immorality and crime." 

On the subject of prayer he writes thus : 

*' Prayer is indispensable to the life of the Christian. 
In fact, a prayerless Christian is, to my mind, an anomaly 
in the universe of God. It is like attempting to identify 
the ideas of opaque and transparent qualities in a simple 
substance, or to conceive of two substances occupying 
the sam^ space at the same time. ***** It may be 
contended by some that if we possess the spirit of prayer, 
that will suffice without formal or vocal prayer. "This 
argument might be brought with equal force against every 
commandment in the gospel. Some people bring the 
same argument against obeying the first principles of the 
gospel. 'Oh,' say they, 'God looks not at forms and 
outward ceremonies, but at the heart. He abhors the 
sacrifice where the heart is not found.' Thus people 
argue, and thus conclude to omit 'the sacrifice' altogethei, 



408 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

or offer it on an altar that God has not erected, and thus 
the virtue of the sacrifice is lost, for 'it is the altar that 
sanctifieth the gift.' I could not make use of such an 
argument against an institution of heaven, except it were 
as an opiate to a guilty conscience, which was too weak 
to bear the wholesome and strengthening doctrine of 
Jesus Christ and his apostles. * * * * Is it not strange 
that, with the example of patriarchs and prophets — apos- 
tles and first Christians — together with the many precepts 
on that subject, individuals professing Christianity should 
never be known to pray ? — no, not even so much as give 
thanks to Almighty God for the food they eat ? Such, 
however, in some (T hope few) instances, is literally true. 
The devotion of the heart is too much neglected. How 
many are there who are raising up children, bound with 
them to the grave and to the bar of God, who have never 
been heard by them to pray or give thanks to God for any 
of his blessings which he bestows so profusely upon us ! 
Are there not bishops of churches whose duty it is to 
watch over the souls of the flock, who never pray in their 
families or read the word of God to them ?'' This long 
extract on prayer will not be injurious to the readers of 
these sketches — to the disciples of this present day. 

In more lively style, he treats directly of some of the 
bishops, as follows : 

'' What would you think. Christian reader, notwith- 
standing the importance of the office of the Christian 
bishop, were I to tell you that I know of a Christian (?) 
bishop of whom I have been told by one of the flock of 
which he was appointed to take the oversight, that he 
came to see the flock — not to feed — five times in foi^ty- 
two weeks ? Such indeed is the fact. Query : Will such 
a shepherd receive a crown of glory that fade th not away'? 
* * * * What would you think were I to tell you of 
another bishop who undertakes to justify play-parties, 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 409 

and proves the sincerity of his advocacy by having one at 
bis own house, thus setting an example to the flock ? A 
church of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, in the 
habitual practice of such parties! Such a scene ! A 
spectacle that would make angels weep, the devil smile, 
wicked men rejoice, and fill the hearts of the pious chil- 
dren of God with sorrow. 

'^ Suppose a church having such a bishop as w^e have 
described should ordain an evangelist, and send him out 
to preach the gospel ; and his labors are blest by the 
conversion of many who hear his voice; and when he 
returns home to report his success to his brethren, and 
thus fill their hearts with joy, there accompany him a 
young disciple, one of his late converts, whose heart is 
filled with zeal and love to God ; and when they arrive 
at the bishop's house about nightfall, where they expect 
to tarry all night, they hear the voice of male and female 
engaged in singing, with much animation. *Ah,' says 
the new convert to himself, ' I shall have a pleasant even- 
ing with these disciples, who have met together at the 
bishop's house to sing the songs of Zion.'' But to his 
great mortification, when he arrives at the house of this 
shepherd of the flock of God, he finds a company of male 
and female disciples going round in a ring, singing — 

** Old sister Phebe, how merry were we 
When we sat under yon juniper tree," 

* * * * while the bishop, with a smile on his counte- 
nance, and his sober companion by his side, sits and looks 
on, well pleased to behold the zeal and devotion of these 
young disciples, the flock of his care ! What would be 
the feelings, on such an occasion, of the young disciple 
whom we have described?'' 

Elder Edmondson possessed also considerable poetic 
talent. He never spent much time in its cultivation or 
35 



410 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

exercise, jet he wrote some very respectable pieces, 
mostly of a sacred character and plaintive tone. The 
following is a specimen from the ''Christian Psalmist:" 

KEDRON'S GLOOMY VALE. 

* 'Among tlie mountain trees 

The winds were murmuring low, 
And night's ten thousand harmonies 

Were harmonies of woe ; 
A voice of grief was on the gale. 
It came from Kedron's gloomy vale. 

It was the Saviour's prayer 

That on the silence broke, 
Imploring strength from heav'n to bear 

The sin-avenging stroke : 
As in Grethsemane he knelt, 
And pangs unknown his bosom felt. 

The fitful starlight shone 

In dim and misty gleams ; 
Deep was his agonizing groan, 

And large the vital streams 
That trickled to the dewy sod. 
While Jesus raised his voice to Grod. 

The chosen three that stayed, 

Their nightly watch to keep, 
Left him through sorrows deep to wade, 

And gave themselves to sleep : 
Meekly and sad he prayed alone. 
Strangely forgotten by his own. 

Along the streamlet's banks 

The reckless traitor came, 
And heavy, on his bosom, sank 

The load of guilt and shame : 
Yet unto them that waited nigh 
He gave the Lamb of Grod to die. 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 411 

Among the mountain trees 

The winds were murmuring low, 
And night's ten thousand harmonies 

Were harmonies of woe ; 
For cruel voices filled the gale 
That came from Kedron's gloomy vale." 

Leaving the reader to judge, from these specimens, of 
the character of his writings and their probable influence 
upon the minds and hearts of men, we proceed to give the 
sad remainder of his history. 

He continued to labor at and around Columbus, in the 
manner above-described, until early in the year 1854, at 
which time he was called, by a co-operation of several 
churches in Lawrence county, to labor for them as an 
evangelist. He accepted this call, and for a few months 
prosecuted the work with good success ; but his health 
failing him he was compelled to retire from the pulpit. He 
then returned with his little family to Columbus, where it 
was soon discovered that Consumption, that merciless de- 
stroyer, had marked him for his victim. Every effort was 
made by himself and his friends to stay the progress of 
the fearful disease, but it was all in vain. In a little while 
he went down lamented to the grave, whither descends 
every thing good and beautiful on earth. The subjoined 
extract is from his obituary notice, written by J. M. 
Mathes, and contained in the October number of the 
Christian Record, for the year 1855. 

''A MIGHTY MAN FALLEN. We learn by a letter from 
brother C. C. Alden that our beloved brother and fellow- 
laborer. Elder Thomas J. Edmondson, fell asleep in Jesus, 
on Lord's day morning, August 19th, 1855. The disease 
was consumption, of which most of a large family of bro- 
thers and sisters have died. Brother Edmondson died at 
his residence in Columbus, Indiana, leaving a wife and 
two small children to mourn his departure. For several 



412 PIONEER PREACHERS. 

weeks before his death he suffered greatly, but he bore it 
patiently, and calmly awaited the moment that would ad- 
mit him through the vail of mortality to the pleasures and 
glories of a better world." 



Physically, as well as mentally and morally, Thomas J. 
Edmondson was a noble specimen of his race. He was 
six feet two inches high, and weighed about one hundred 
and eighty pounds — was well built, finely proportioned, 
and possessed of great power and activity. In his youth 
and early manhood, he was passionately fond of athletic 
exercises ; and at three jumps or hops he had but few 
equals. 

He had rather light hair, mildly-beaming blue eyes, and 
''the look of heaven upon his face which limners give to 
the beloved disciple." 

His was a fine head, especially in the moral and intel- 
lectual departments ; the moral, perhaps, predominating. 
He had an excellent memory and very great power of 
concentration. Every intellectual ray he could bring to 
a complete focus. The thoughtfulness of his youth so 
increased with his years that he became subject to fits of 
entire abstraction. Often has he been known to take his 
bucket, when in such a state of mind, and proceed to the 
ham instead of the well, for water. He was not a servile, 
but an independent thinker, whom no human creed could 
shut out from ''the light of the knowledge of God." 

In the pulpit he was rather a philosopher and logician 
than an orator, though he was a very pleasant speaker. 
His voice was charming, full of melody, silvery and sweet. 
He was an excellent singer, and greatly delighted in sing- 
ing the songs of Zion. He had a fine flow of language, 
and his delivery was calm and dignified ; never stormy 
and impetuous. He always treated his opponents with 
fairness and candor ; and although he made no compro- 



THOMAS J. EDMONDSON. 413 

mise with sectarianism but rebuked it with all authority, 
yet he was generally mild and conciliatory, never abusive. 
He was a bold, frank, and earnest speaker, yet he some- 
times seemed to lack energy to stir, and pathos to touch 
the hearts of his hearers. In fact he delighted to stand 
upon the firm basis of proposition and proof, and to sway 
his audience by the force of logic and testimony, rather 
than by appeals to their sympathies, their passions, or 
their prejudices. Like Paul, he ''reasoned of righteous- 
ness, of temperance, and of judgment to come,'' and when 
he finished his argument the Felixes trembled and felt that 
it must he so. His poetic imagination enabled him to make 
a good exhortation, and, when excited, his descriptive 
powers were very fine. 

He was most amiable in disposition, eminently sociable, 
and by no means destitute of humor. Though slightly 
inclined to melancholy, he relished an innocent joke, and 
often indulged in a hearty laugh. In attachment he was 
strong as David ; in friendship as true as Jonathan ; and 
in death as unfortunate as righteous Abel, cut down at 
the altar of God. 

'*How "beautiful it is for man to die 
Upon the walls of Zion ! to be call'd 
Like a watch-worn and weary sentinel, 
To put his armor off, and rest — in Heaven!" 



NORTHWESTEM CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY 



ITS ORIGIN. 

The idea of founding an institution of learning of the 
highest order was entertained, for many years, by leading 
minds in the Christian Church, before the work was con- 
summated in the founding and organizing of the North- 
western Christian University — a view of which is pre- 
sented in this volume. 

It was plainly perceived by the prominent men among 
the Christian brotherhood in Indiana, that the prosperity 
of the Christian cause, as intrusted to their hands, was 
very intimately blended with the cause of education ; 
hence, this subject was much discussed in the earlier 
Indiana State Meetings until the October Meeting in 1849, 
when definite action was taken in regard to the enterprise. 

That meeting, aiming at the establishment of an insti- 
tution of learning of the very highest grade, adopted the 
following resolution : 

" That a Northwestern Christian University be founded 
at Indianapolis, as soon as a sufficient amount of funde 
can be raised to commence it ; and that a committee of 
seven be appointed by this meeting to take the preliminar} 
steps in reference to the founding and endov/ing of sucL 
nn institution." 

Such was the unostentatious origin of the University, 
w^iich is evidently destined, under the favor of God, to 
take rank among the first of the noble educational esta- 
blishments of our country. 
414 



NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 415 

To that State Meeting, acting under the impulse of 
Christian liberality and zeal for education and religion, 
we owe the inception and inauguration of this enterprise. 



ITS HISTORY. 

The Comnaittee appointed by the State Meeting, in 
accordance w^ith the foregoing resolution, obtained from 
the Legislature of the State an act of incorporation, 
liberal in its character, and which contemplated a Uni- 
versity, composed of colleges of literature and science, 
law and medicine. The charter was approved, January 
15, 1850, and thus became a law. 

On the 5th of the ensuing March the commissioners 
named in the charter held their first meeting, and appointed 
a Board of Commissioners, whose duty it was to make 
prompt and efficient provision for procuring stock, in order 
to build and endow^ the University. Under the auspices 
and direction of this Board, the work of procuring sub- 
scriptions for the stocK of the University was vigorously 
prosecuted until June 22, 1852. At this time, it appearing 
that seventy-five thousand dollars had been subscribed — 
the minimum amount named in the charter — an election 
of directors was ordered, as provided by the charter, and 
the commissioners adjourned sine die. The first Board 
of Directors was elected July 14, 1852, and convened on 
the 2Tth of the same month for the transaction of business. 

The site of the University building was selected in 
September, 1852, and the contracts for the building were 
let in July of the following year ; and at the May Meeting, 
1855, the building was reported to the Board as completed. 

On the 9th of April, 1855, a preparatory school was 
opened in the University under the direction of Professor 
A. R. Benton, and continued until it was incorporated 



416 NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 

with the college, which was ordered to be opened on the 
1st of November, 1855. 

The Faculty at the opening of the College was com- 
posed of Professors John Young, A. R. Benton, and J. 
R. Challen, to which number G. W- Hoss was added the 
following year. At the meeting of the Board of Directors 
in- June, 1858, John Young having resigned his professor- 
ship, R. T. Brown was chosen to fill his place, and S. K. 
Hoshour was elected President of the Faculty of the 
University. 

In January, 1859, Madison Evans was elected Principal 
of the Preparatory and English School, in place of J. R 
Challen, who had resigned. Up to this time, and until 
the Summer vacation of 1861, the Principal of the English 
Department was assisted at different times by Mr. and 
Mrs. L. H. Jameson, Mrs. E. J. Price, and Mrs. N. E. 
Burns. 

At the July session of the Board, 1861, in view of the 
condition of the country, and the necessity of retrench- 
ment in the expenses of the University, it was decided to 
diminish the number of instructors, and consequently a 
partial reorganization of the Faculty became necessary. 
In accomplishing this change A. R. Benton was elected 
President of the Faculty, which now consisted of S. K. 
Hoshour, R. T. Brown, Gr. W. Hoss, A. C. Shortridge, and 
the President-elect. 

This organization of the Faculty continues at this time. 

The attendance at the University has always been very 
creditable in numbers and in the character of its students. 
The average yearly attendance in the Literary Depart- 
ment has been nearly two hundred, and in the Law De- 
partment about thirteen annually. The whole number of 
graduates for seven years has been forty-two. Thus it 
wall be seen that the University has enjoyed a remarkable 
degree of prosperity in the influence it has been enabled to 



NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 417 

exert; and nothing is now wanting but the return of peace- 
ful times and the continued co-operation of its friends, to 
give it a pre-eminence among similar institutions. 



LAW DEPARTMENT. 

The propriety of establishing a Law Department was 
discussed very early in the history of the University, and 
several classes were instructed by Professor John Young 
previously to its being organized in its present form. 

As at present constituted under the Professors, S. E. 
Perkins, LL. D., Judge of the Supreme Court of the State, 
and David McDonald, LL. D., it bids fair to become a val- 
uable and popular department of the University. It de- 
signs to furnish as thorough and as extensive a course of 
legal study as any college in the West, together with a 
practical application of the things taught. 



BUILDING AND ENDOWMENT. 

The University building has been projected on a scale 
of unrivaled magnificence for a college building, thus in- 
dicating the enlarged and comprehensive designs of its 
projectors and founders. 

Its location in the northeastern part of Indianapolis, in 
a campus of twenty-five acres of primitive forest trees, is 
unsurpassed for beauty, and convenience to the citizens of 
this State and of the JSTorthwest. 

The building is modeled after the Collegiate-Gothic 
style of architecture. It is made of brick, with the quoins 
and coping of stone, and constructed in the most artistic 
and durable manner — a fit type of its prospective career 
in the noble work to which it has been consecrated. 

The west wing of the edifice is completed, and furnished 



418 NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 

with accommodations for about three hundred students. 
The remainder waits for the liberality of its friends to 
bring it to completion. 

The endowment of the University is projected on the 
basis of a joint-stock-company, in shares of one hundred 
dollars each, one third being paid over to the Company, 
and the remaining two thirds at the option of the sub- 
scriber, being retained as a permanent loan from the Com- 
pany, the interest of which is to be paid annually. 

According to this plan, funds enough have been obtained 
to erect a building, and to constitute the nucleus of a per- 
manent endowment fund. 

With the increase of this endowment will come an in- 
crease in the number of professors, and provision of the 
materiel of education in every department of study. The 
finances of the corporation are managed by the President 
of the Board of Directors, which responsible position has 
been successively filled by Ovid Butler, Esq., Elder Elijah 
Goodwin, and Jeremiah Smith, Esq. 



NAME AND DESIGN. 

The adopted name — Northwestern Christian Univer- 
sity — was designed to be descriptive rather than geo- 
graphical, and intended to stamp on its front its peculiar 
characteristics. 

It is not unusual to give a local name to an institution of 
learning, as being most convenient in order to distinguish it 
from others, and to fix its location. In the name adopted 
for the University it was intended doubtless to embody 
its spirit and design, rather than to give it geographical 
distinction. 

It is a truth recognized by all correct observers, that 
nature, society, and experience, as well as books, are 



NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 419 

powerful instructors. Thus while the Universitj aims to 
give literary culture to all, East, West, ]V[orth and South, 
yet it would imbibe and communicate that spirit of en- 
largement in which it was originated, and which is most 
aptly symbolized by the broad savannahs and the sweep of 
majestic rivers in the IS'orthwest. Besides, that seething 
activity and ardor of enterprise, so peculiar to these States, 
devoted to individual freedom and development, is the 
spirit in which the University is designed to work, and 
which is indicated by its characteristic name. 

It is not pretended that new ideas, with respect to the 
routine of college study, have been originated ; for the 
course of literary study in the University is essentially the 
same as in other institutions of a similar grade — a course 
which is the result of the cumulative experience of the 
past, and in accord with the power and wants of the human 
mind. 

In this respect no useful originality of plan is claimed, 
and if possessed of any superiority, it must be in the exe- 
cution of its plan. 

Whatever originality of design there may be, pertaining 
to the institution, it will be found in its provisions for 
Biblical study, and for female education in the classes of 
the University. 

Its motto is, ^Hhe Bible the best classic," and its aim is 
to consecrate the vigor of enterprise and fervor of spirit 
peculiar to our time to the Lord. Hence, the Institution 
has the name Christian, by which, while it seeks to make 
no invidious distinction between itself and others, it recog- 
nizes its obligations to teach the Christian religion in the 
morality, facts and promises thereof. This, by the terms 
of the charter, is made an imperative duty, and in practice 
is effected by instruction in regular classes of the Uni- 
versity. 

Thus the Bible is made a text book — ignorance of which 



420 NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 

is a foul reproach to graduates of Colleges, in a land of 
Christian civilization and influence. 

Without it, impulse and passion may prevail with un- 
controlled sway, but with it alone, principles of action, 
originating in a sense of duty, are best inculcated and 
enforced. 

This daily contact of Divine truth, this personal and 
direct approach to the heart, is unquestionably the most 
potent means in forming character after the Divine model, 
and in fixing as principles of action the precepts of the 
Bible. 

Another design of the University is somewhat novel, 
though by no means untried and impracticable. 

The charter of the University opens it to both sexes, 
to be taught in the same classes, and to be graduated 
with the same honors. 

This plan cannot be regarded altogether as an experi- 
ment, for in the High Schools of our country it is found 
practicable, and not attended with the evil consequences 
so much deprecated by those with whom this system has 
found little favor. It is a deplorable fact, that female 
education, in those branches that especially invigorate 
and strengthen the mind, labors under the reproach of 
inefficiency; and every effort to remove this opprobrium 
should be hailed with joy by every friend of sound 
scholarship. Hence for many years the most judicious 
educators have been devising plans, by which the moral 
restraints, the intellectual competition, and the refining 
influence of the sexes, may be reciprocally enjoyed in the 
school-room. 

With sound philosophy on its side, and no countervail- 
ing experience to dissuade from the attempt, the Uni- 
versity proposes to give to both sexes the advantage of 
the most enlarged and liberal culture. 



NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 421 



ITS WORKS AND ITS WANTS. 

It has already been showD from the statistics of the 
University, that the Institution has enjoyed a large mea- 
sure of popular favor and patronage. Its growth has been 
healthful and uniform, with nothing to disturb its disci- 
pline or to mar its internal peace. The liberal spirit in 
which its administration has been conceived and con- 
ducted has conduced to this result. • 

Whatever of external agitation may have prevailed, 
the harmony and peace of College operations have never 
been disturbed. If, too, we compare the prosperity of 
the University with that of other Colleges, we have no 
cause of discontent or discouragement. 

The number to be educated at College is limited by 
the educational spirit and pecuniary means of our people. 
For its past prosperity its friends have much reason to 
be thankful. This is due, in a large measure, to the 
liberal and enlightened policy of its Directors, which, as 
it is better known, will be more heartily approved. 

From the partial praises we have thus bestowed on 
the University, we would not have any one infer that it 
has no wants. It does need a larger Endowment fund, 
in order that it may have a larger Chapel building and a 
l^greater number of Professors. In order to give this 
University that prominence which was contemplated by 
its founders, it will be necessary to increase its Endow- 
ment fund. In addition to the chairs of instruction 
already provided, there is pressing need of a Professor of 
Biblical Literature, who shall make that work a specialty, 
with reference to the wants of young men entering the 
ministry. This, with another Professor in the Literary 
Department, and with greater materiel of education in 
the Library, Apparatus, and Cabinet, will place the Insti- 



422 NORTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. 

tution in the very front rank of Colleges. A Medical 
Department, too, is demanded, and is under consideration, 
to be organized, it is presumed, before the lapse of many 
years. 

The public men, the incidents of whose religious lives 
are here recorded, together with many brethren in private 
life, who have labored even more efficiently than the 
former in carrying the University thus far toward com- 
pletion, here see the culmination of their efforts in the 
cause of education in this State. It remains for their 
later contemporaries, and for their children, in the same 
spirit of Christian liberality and faith, to carry forward 
the work which has been so auspiciously begun. 

Indianapolis, October 4, 1862. 



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